Lost But Never Forgotten
by Jag-o-mite
Summary: Wandering in the woods one night after a fight with Inuyasha, Kagome is attacked by a demon. Now she and the gang must travel the land for a magical cave that can fix the damage done to her.And having Naraku trying to stop them and weird dreams don't help
1. Chp 1 I win, You lose, I lose

**Disclaimer:** I Own Nothing except for characters not recognized and the plot and happenings.

* * *

**Epilogue **

* * *

It started off like any other day, they awoke, ate, went shard hunting, Inuyahsa said something, Kagome had an outburst, yet another fight and she had stormed off, blinded by so much fury she didn't see which way she had gone, and got lost. 

"Stupid Inuyasha." Kagome muttered as she searched for a way out of the many trees and bushes.

"Why does he always have to be so difficult, why does he have to be so stubborn, why doesn't he come save me?" she yelled when she realized she was completely lost. Walking into a clearing she sat by a tall, moss covered tree.

"I'll just wait here for him." She said out loud crossing her legs Indian style. "That's right, I'll wait here for him to come. He'll say somthing to reconcile me, and we'll bound off into the night all warm and fuzzy...he better hurry."

"You'll be long gone, before he comes," an icy voice said above Kagome's head, making her freeze in place.

_'Not again.'_ she thought. _'Why am I always getting kidnapped.'_

She looked up to see that the tree she was sitting under was occupied by a purple haired wolf demon. She didn't even think twice before she took off running. She didn't get far before he was directly in front of her. She stared into the youkai's eyes. And was instantly hypnotized. It was far too late when she realized what he was.

"An enchanter." She whispered.

"Ooh, what a smart little miko, I think I'd enjoy this little meal." The youkai said grabbing her by the upper arms tightly, his claws digging into her skin.

She couldn't feel, hear, or say anything. She was in a land of complete bliss falling, falling, into blankness. She then felt terrible pain in her arms, as she was abruptly brought back to reality. She now saw that the pain in her arms was from where the youkai slashed her arms when he fell down dead.

Dead!

She looked down at herself and saw that not only was she covered in her own blood, but that of the youkai as well. Lookng around she saw a smug looking Inuyasha leaning on a transformed tetsuaiga. That was the last thing she saw before sub oming to the darkness that plagued her mind.

* * *

She awoke on a futon in Kaede's hut with a pounding headache. Reaching out hand put a hand to her head, she felt that it had been bandaged up. Sitting up, she almost fell back down from the dizziness. To steady herself she leant against the wall and watched the room spin. The room soon stopped spinning, but she still felt dizzy and a little nauseated. She heard someone outside the room talking, and as they talked, a smell came wafting through the door and she nearly barfed. 

Now, who in their right mind would be bringing her a decaying skunk? Kaede that's who, but it wasn't a decaying skunk,it was a steaming bowl of some green liquid, which she, to Kagome's horror, sat directly in front of her, and a bandage. She sat down in front of the dizzy Kagome and pushed the putrid bowl towards her.

"Here Kagome," she said, "drink this, it should make you feel better."

"It's disgusting." Kagome said weakly pushing the bowl towards Kaede.

"But it will stop the dizziness." Kaede replied pushing it back. "And don't worry, its worse going down than it smells."

Sighing Kagome picked up the bowl reluctantly. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she downed the contents of the bowl as fast as she could, and waited for the dizziness to subside, which it did quickly and effectively. Kaede was now holding the bandages out towards her.

"Now Kagome," she said looking at the young miko, "tie this around your eyes while I let the others in." saying this she got up and walked to the door.

"Why?" Kagome asked curiously but simultaneously doing as the old miko said.

Tying the bandage over her eyes, Kagome found surprisingly that she could see clearly through it.

"Your eyes have had," Kaede hesitated for the right words, "I explain to you along with the rest." Seeing that Kagome had done what she was told, Kaede opened the door.

Shippo was the first in. He bounded into the room and launched himself right at Kagome giving her a big hug. "Kagome," he cried, "I'm so glad you're better!"

"Yes, us too Lady Kagome." said Miroku as he, Sango, Inuyasha entered the room.

When everyone was in and seated Kaede sat back down, this time repositioned herself so she would be facing everyone.

First, she asked Kagome to explain what happened, and Kagome did as best as she could with outbursts and unnecessary comments from Inuyasha.

Kaede held her head down in thought.

"So what's wrong with her you old hag." Inuyasha yelled annoyed about all the silence.

Ignoring him, Kaede raised her head and looked pointingly at Kagome. "By what you've told me, and the state of Kagome's injuries. I have concluded that..."

* * *

We are now deep in Inuyasha's forest where everything is peaceful. Well it was until an ear-shattering yell was heard. 

"**WHAT**!"

Sending birds flying, squirrels scampering back into their nests, and that demon that was about to attack the village went scurrying away from fear.

* * *

We now return to the hut where we see a very curious scene. A group of people are huddled together on a wall fearing one very angry teenager, who ironically was much smaller then them. 

"I'm not turning into a youkai!" Kagome said through gritted teeth trying to get calm.

"Yeah Kaede you must be mistaken." Sango said while everyone relaxed, just a little.

"No," Kaede said calmly, "I am not mistaken. Kagome has already started the process. She is ½ hanyou."

"A what?" Inuyasha asked confused along with everyone else.

"Let me try to guess. She is not entirely hanyou yet, but not entirely human either?" Miroku asked figuring out in his head.

"Yes, that is it exactly Miroku. My guess is the demon blood within her will overide the human, andif you do not find a cure soon it might be permanent."

"I still don't believe you. If Kagome is turning into a youkai prove it." Inuyasha half said half yelled.

"Very well. If you will look at Kagome's hand," she said picking it up, "her nails have grown longer and sharper, but not as big as Inuyasha's, and, Kagome would you please open your mouth."

Kagome who had been looking and flexing her hands opened her mouth, although she wasn't listening to what Kaede was saying.

"Now if you can tell," Kaede said opening Kagome's mouth wider, "Kagome's teeth have gone under that same change. And if you look at Inuyasha's teeth, you can see the resemblance." They all looked from Inuyasha (Whose mouth had been forced open) to Kagome.

"but, she continued, the real reason I think Kagome is turning into a youkai is..." she was now unwrapping the bandage around Kagome's head, who was now running a tongue across her new fangs.

"This." She said as the bandage came fully off revealing two coal black wolf ears, which were laid back because of the bandage and perked up when it was taking off. "And the fact that her wounds have already healed."

Everyone stared in shock. All except Kaede and Kagome, who couldn't see them, but felt them.

"So lady Kagome is turning into a youkai." Miroku stated as Kagome felt her ears with an eep.

"But why?" Shippo asked as he bounced over and was, to Kagome's displeasure, poking Kagome's ears making them twitch.

"Kagome was already poisoned by the youkai, and when Inuyasha killed it, its blood entered Kagome's wound. It neutralized the poison. And was swept into the blood stream. Where it and the neutralized poison started to conquest." Finished she saw all their blank faces and sighed. "Kagome now has youkai blood and it's taking over her human blood." she put simply.

"Ooh." they all said now that they understood.

"What about this bandage around her eyes? Is she blind?" Shippo asked waving his paw in front of her face, and yelped when she caught it.

"Kagome did you not say that the youkai that attacked you was an enchanter?"

"Yes, I did." she said as she tried to remember.

"Well you have the youkai's enchanting powers and this is to protect Inuyasha and Miroku from being enchanted." She said as if that was the simplest answer in the world.

* * *

"So where is this cave of whatcha call it again?" Inuyasha asked. 

"The cave of truth Inuyasha and I do not know." Kaede told the hanyou.

"Then how the hell do you expect us to go there if we don't know where to go?"

"What does the Cave of Truth have to do with my condition?" Kagome asked ignoring Inuyasha's question.

"Well this cave sets things right. If a person dieing from a sickness were to enter the cave then the sickness would be lifted. Or in your case Kagome it would turn you back into a human."

"We still don't know how to get there." Inuyasha yelled, mad that he had been ignored.

"I do not, but this does." She said pulling out large, blue quartz from her robes. Tossing it to Miroku, she continued. "This is from the cave itself, it glows brighter as it gets closer to the cave."

"Well you should've said so earlier." (Do I even have to say it?)

"So what do we do now?" Sango asked as she scooted away from Miroku when she realized how close they were.

"Sleep. Get well rested. Leave out tomorrow." Kaede said as the group stood up.

* * *

"So. Why do I have to where these clothes again?" Kagome asked looking at the forest green miko robes Kaede laid out for her. 

"We do not know how much your body will change Kagome. These clothes will fit no matter what." Kaede said as she left the clothes on the floor.

"Oh." Seeing that Kagome was beginning to dress Kaede left the room.

Kagome dressed quickly. She put on the miko attire, put her hair in a high ponytail (she decided she needed a change in hairstyle, besides I love people with long hair to have ponytails.), and wrapped the magical cloth around her eyes.

She checked herself over. Being satisfied to what she saw, Kagome began packing. She had bought quite a few things from the present to make living in the past a little more enjoyable, so the room Kaede had given her looked closely similar to the one she had. With help from Inuyasha, she had managed to bring many things from her house. Anyway, she packed that bag of hers full of stuff. She picked it up and was thankful for a little more strength because it felt light to her.

She left the hut to find everyone outdoors. Sango played with Kirara, Shippo arguing with Inuyasha, and Miroku talking with Kaede. Well they were until Kagome walked out and they all stopped to look at her.

"What?" she asked sweat dropping.

"Nothing, it's just that you're so beautiful. How are you feeling?" Miroku asked appearing by her side suddenly making her jump.

"Fine, just fine Miroku." Kagome said hurriedly as she headed towards Kaede as fast as she could before Miroku had a chance to be lecherous.

"There is no time for that Miroku. You all have quite a journey ahead of you, and your time is limited." Kaede said as she handed the crystal rock to Kagome.

"I have already succeeded in getting the direction you she head in first, she continued as Shippo jumped on Kagome's shoulders to look at the rock, you should head east."

"Then why are we wasting time talking to you. Come on wench, we've wasted enough time." Inuyasha said as he stood in front of Kagome for her to get on his back.

"Umm, Inuyasha. I was wondering," Kagome, said timidly watching the others climb on Kirara, "well since I'm a little faster, if I could run instead."

"Feh. Suit yourself. Just don't come complaining to me when you get tired, your not even hanyou yet."

"Whatever Inuyasha, here you carry my bag so you won't get lonely," she said annoyed as she tossed her humongous bag at him.

"Feh."

"Feh, yourself." And they were off. Inuyasha in the lead, then Kirara, and not to far behind...Kagome.

* * *

They had been running for 8 hours now, and they were beginning to tire, except Inuyasha, and mostly Kagome. She had been begun to become tired, but she wasn't going to give Inuyasha the satisfaction to know he was right. 

She was noticing different scents as they passed things. But there was one scent, one dominating the others, the forest. It was a rather calm soothing smell. There was also another dominating scent. It was slowly taking over the smell of the forest. It was a fresh, dull, thick scent, with a tiny small hint of mint. Curious for this strange smell she urged her already tired legs to go faster in order to ask Inuyasha. Now using every ounce of energy, she had Kagome caught up with the hanyou.

"Inuyasha," she asked trying not to sound to tired, "what's that scent?"

"Which one? There are a lot." He said sarcastically staring at her.

"That heavy thick smell."

He took a sniff of the air before answering. "That," he said, "is rain."

"oh." she said falling back with Sango and the others. "Inuyasha said it's going to rain; keep a look out for shelter." Kagome told them, and they nodded in understanding.

Seeing her friend's weary face Sango took pity on her. "Kagome? Do you want a lift?"

"Yes." Kagome said desperately hoping on behind Miroku and wincing as the full pain in her legs hit her.

"Ha, told you, you were going to get tired." Inuyasha yelled triumphantly from the front of the group.

"No. you said, 'Don't come crawling to me when you get tired.' And I didn't." she said smiling.

"She's right Inuyasha. You did say that." Miroku said with a little smirk on his face.

"Feh."

They all laughed at him.

* * *

It didn't take long for the rain to come. In fact, when they finally found a cave it was night and they were soaked to the bone. 

"Whoa, it's coming down like buckets." Kagome laughed, as they began to wring the water out of their hair and clothes.

"I'm cold." Shippo said shivering.

"Yes, it is very cold. Perhaps you should take off your clothes; we wouldn't want you girls to catch a cold." Miroku said looking hopefully at the girls, who just looked back.

Well, he thought Kagome was looking, but couldn't tell because of her bandages.

"What a good idea Miroku." Sango said wringing her hair out.

"Huh?" Shippo exclaimed.

"Yes." Miroku said dropping to the ground and thanking the heavens.

"Yes. What good are we if we're sick?" Kagome stated as she and Sango began to shed their clothes.

"Whoa! Kagome, what the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha yelled frantically, his eyes wide.

"Huh? Oh, Inuyasha we're not stupid. We have clothes under these." Kagome said calmly as she took her miko garments off to reveal a pair of short shorts and shirt that showed a little of her stomach and went past her shoulders a bit, but not to far that it'll fall off. Sango's kimono dropped revealing her Demon exterminator suit.

"Oh." he huffed plainly embarrassed, while in the background Miroku was sulking.

After a while, they had a fire going, with some wood they had found around cave. Deciding that the rain wasn't going to let up soon they set up for the night. After a hearty meal of ramen, everyone went to doing the things they usually did. Miroku meditating, Sango stroking Kirara, Inuyasha was watching through the rain for predators, Shippo was sleep, and Kagome was bored.

Digging through her pack for any source of entertainment, Kagome emerged with her CD player (she recharges the batteries with miko powers. Wish I could do thatsigh.). She slipped the headphones over her head only to realize her ears were in a different place. Now over her wolf like ears she couldn't help but notice how weird it felt. Shaking the feeling off, she turned it on, closed her eyes, and began to move and sing to the music.

The first song that came on was a fast song, Bombs over Baghdad by Outkast. For anyone who has ever heard it will know that that song is crazy. So naturally, when the song ended. She opened her eyes to see everyone looking at her like she had lost her mind.

Now a deep red, she put her CD player up, and then curled in her sleeping bag, her back to them.

* * *

Kagome found herself running through the forest. 

_'Where am I? What's happening?'_

She then began to run faster, towards her destination. For some unknown reason she felt concern and fury.

_'Why do I feel this way? Where am I running too? Why am I running? Is someone after me? No. I'm after someone. But who?'_

She then burst into a clearing and saw...

* * *

Kagome bolted up, breathing hard. Shakily, Kagome wiped the sweat off her face. Carefully as not to wake the sleeping kitsune beside her, Kagome stood up upon shaky legs. Walking softly, Kagome left the cave. 

_'What all that about?'_ Kagome thought to herself.

_'It was like it was me, then it wasn't me at the same time?'_

_'Urggh this is so confusing.'_ Kagome thought frustrated.

_'And what was in that clearing...ooh pretty.'_ Kagome had spotted the moon. It was huge, and somewhat glowing a bluish-silver color. She immediately calmed, as she got lost in the moon and all its glory.

Glancing around, she spotted a tree with a thick branch giving you a perfect view of the moon.

"Why not?" she said shrugging

Going over to the tree, she looked up at the branch. Crouching down, she got in a jumping position, and then she lunged. She jumped higher then usually, but it wasn't high enough to land on the branch, she only managed to grab hold. Getting a firmer grip on the branch, she swung her leg up on it. With a grunt, she finally managed to climb up onto the branch.

'whew _part demon, and you still can't climb a tree Kagome_' she laughed to herself, leaning against the trunk of the tree, then turning her attention back to the reason fro climbing the tree in the first place. The moon.

It seemed even more glorious up in the tree, where she could also see the land glistening in the moonlight from the day's earlier rainfall. Kagome soon fell into a warm peaceful sleep, with thoughts of things she wouldn't remember in the morning.

If anyone in the cave would have woken up and looked up at Kagome that night, they would have seen her glowing, a light silver color, and her hair and clothes blowing in an unseen wind. (Just think of Tima from Metropolis.) But by morning, everything would be the same.

* * *

Kagome was floating peacefully within her mind. It was warm and cool at the same time. She felt like she was in water. Yes. Soothing water. 

"OI, WENCH, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?"

"AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" Kagome screamed as she fell from the tree, and landed face first on the ground.

"Lady Kagome, are you alright?" Miroku asked as he and Sango helped her up.

"Just fine ignoring the fact that I just fell from a tree." Kagome told them cheerfully brushing the dirt from her clothes.

"What were you doing up there in that tree anyway?" Inuyasha asked irritated for some unknown reason.

"I WAS SLEEPING YOU ASS!" Kagome yelled with such force and baring her fangs so fiercely that the others jumped back from her, and Shippo clung to Miroku's robes so tight he pierced the material.

The outburst seemed to scare Kagome also, for when she felt a rumbling start to build up in her throat she returned to normal with a yelp.

Blinking confusedly at the others, she smiled reassuringly at them.

"So uh, what's for breakfast?" she said then laughed a weak, nervous, laugh.

* * *

Sango had made breakfast so Kagome could go put on her now dry clothes, and pack her things. 

They ate, and started on their protracted journey again.

Kagome now started off riding Kirara with the others. She reviewed herself on the different smells, and memorized them as best as she could. She had become good at identifying many things, like different plants, animals, and her friends.

Shippo smelled of grass, flowers, and something else.

Sango of lilacs, and something else but it was different from the strange scent of Shippo.

Miroku's scent was strange. He smelt like a giant herb, and two different scents. The first scent was the same as Sango's, but the second strange scent smelt neither of Sango or Shippo.

And last Inuyasha. He smelt of the forest and dirt. (She guessed the dirt smell probably came from being sat all the time) he also had a strange scent. Only his scent was that of both Sango's and Shippo's strange scent mixed together. She thought about it for a while when it finally clicked in her head. Sango and Miroku's strange scent was their human scent, and Shippo's strange scent was his demon scent, so obviously that is why Inuyasha smells like them both is because he's hanyou half human half demon, and that only leaves Miroku's other scent, it has to be the wind tunnel.

Too proud at herself for figuring it out, Kagome didn't notice Kirara and Inuyasha go rigid for a second. Well Kirara went rigid for a second then went back to normal, but Inuyasha went from rigid to tense as he kept his ears swiveling around and his hand on the hilt of his sword.

It wasn't until after all this occurred that the scent of a youkai and spices hit her nose. Jumping off Kirara, she ran to catch up with Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha? She asked trying to keep up with the faster hanyou, what is the smell?"

"Kouga." He growled under his breath.

"Who?"

"Kou..." he started to say, but suddenly a tornado separated him from Kagome.

When the dust cleared, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd they go!" he yelled looking around frantically.

"Ahem _cough cough_"

Looking to where the noise was coming from he spotted his other companions, who were grinning and pointing behind him.

Spinning around he came to a sight that made his blood boil. Kouga holding his Kagome, and nuzzling her neck. And her red-faced and giggling.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WIMPY-WOLF BOY?" he shouted outraged veins throbbing in his head, making the others think that if he didn't calm down they would burst.

Kouga simply ignored Inuyasha or didn't hear him, for he continued to nuzzle Kagome's neck. He then sniffed (why he sniffed her, I don't know, he just sniffed her. Let's just say he likes her scent and wanted to smell it. Ok. Ok. Break. _clap_) her and held her out in front of him. Giving her the once over, he smirked.

"My. My. My, Kagome. Did you do this just to impress me?" Kouga asked a still red-faced, but not giggling, Kagome.

"NO SHE DIDN'T!" a voice in the background yelled. But was still ignored.

"You know you didn't have to do that, I was already enthralled (big word for Kouga) with you. But I'm not saying I don't like what I see."

"YOU WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU KOUGA!" the voice was still ignored.

"No. not that Kouga. You see I was attacked by a wolf youkai, and now I'm turning into a wolf youkai."

"INU-BASTARD YOU ALLOWED MY WOMAN TO GET HURT!' Kouga yelled now holding Kagome by one arm around the waist.

"Oh now you see me. AND NO, I DIDN'T! THE STUPID WENCH WANDERED OFF BY HERSELF!"

"AND YOU LET HER! IT SEEMS I CAN'T TRUST YOU TO TAKE CARE OF MY WOMAN ANYMORE."

Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Kirara watched on amused. . "Wha...why you?" Inuyasha wasted no time, before he had tetsuaiga out and transformed. He then charged at Kouga. He didn't get very far.

"Sit boy."

Kouga guffawed. Turning back to Kagome he finally noticed something. "Oi, Kagome, did you hurt your eyes too." (Aww, just how I like them. Cute and stupid.)

"Umm, not exactly." Kagome said sweat dropping.

"Then what's the matter?" he said softly lifting up the edges trying to peak.

"No, Kouga don't."

But it was too late, he already taken the bandage off. And as soon as he had taken the bandage off, a purple light flashed from his head to his toe. All was quiet. Everybody was on tiptoes trying to see Kagome's face. Well, trying to see her eyes, but they couldn't. Kouga had her back to them.

"Kouga," they heard Kagome's small frail voice ask concernedly, "Are you ok?"

"Yes, Kagome." he answered in a detached voice with expressionless eyes.

"Umm, Kouga. Could you put me down?"

"Yes, Kagome." he repeated as he set her down.

Picking the bandage up from the ground where it had been discarded. Dusting it off Kagome tied it back on firmly. Looking back at Kouga, who still stood there like a statue, Kagome gave him a weak smile.

"Kouga. Go home and get some rest," she suggested.

"Yes, Kagome." And with that said he turned around and ran off in a gust of wind.

Turning around to face her companions, Kagome raised a questioning eyebrow.

They only shrugged


	2. Chp 2 Kagome's First Victory

* * *

**Chp 2. Kagome's first victory**

* * *

Kagome found herself running through the forest. 

_'Why am I here again?'_

She then began to run faster, towards her destination. Again, she felt the waves of concern and fury.

_'What is wrong with me? Is this a vision of the future? What is gonna happen? Who am I after?'_

She then burst into the clearing. Expecting to wake up, she was surprised when she actually landed in the clearing.

Not being able to control her body, she looked straight ahead at a tree. Where a figure sat, cloaked in darkness.

_'Who is that? Why am I after them? Am I after them?'_

She felt her body take a step closer. Fury and concern mixed together to create panic.

_'What is happening to me? Who is that? Is he the one I'm after?_

She took and another step closer, and just as her foot hit the ground, the figures head jerked up.

* * *

Kagome woke gasping for air. A minute or two later she noticed she was moving. Looking around, Kagome finally noticed things. 

She was riding on Kirara while the other's walked beside her.

And

It was daytime,

And

Three she couldn't remember the dream she had just had.

Relaxing, Kagome looks around at her surroundings. They were travailing on a dirt road, in a field of yellow flowers. Looking behind her, she notice that they had left the forest far behind, it wasn't anywhere in sight.

Sighing quietly too herself, she let the aroma of the flower's take their affect on her. Her sighing again made the other turn around to notice her.

"Ah, I see your finally awake lady Kagome." Miroku said merrily.

"Is something the matter Kagome?" Sango asked concernedly.

"yeah." she said quietly

"Well what is it?" Inuyasha asked irritably.

"I feel happy."

They all face faulted.

"Umm...Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"Yes?" Kagome said with a smile as she looked up at them.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he continued.

"Yes but I feel very happy." she said slowly as her smile grew.

"What the hell is wrong with being happy wench?" Inuyasha yelled trying to get her mad so she would wipe that creepy smile off her face.

"no, no. you don't understand. I feel insanely happy," she said this even slower and her smile grew even more.

The others glanced at each other twitching, not knowing what to do, because that smile was just creeping them out.

* * *

"AHHHHHHH." Kagome screamed in delight as she ran circles around everyone. 

Now they all knew that when she said insanely happy, she meant it. Every since she said that she hadn't stop moving, and that was earlier that afternoon, and it was now becoming sunset.

At first Shippo played with her, they spun, and ran, and jumped on Inuyasha, but then he (Shippo) soon got tired and went to sleep on Sango. Then she raced with Kirara, a transformed Kirara, but soon the poor fire cat collapsed from exhaustion, and now resided on Sango also.

But Kagome didn't seem to be slowing down a bit. She was now doing cartwheels non-stop, you know, doing cartwheels so fast it like a wheel rolling, without falling on it's side, she'd cartwheel ahead of them, turn around and cartwheel behind them.

She caught them off guard when she used Miroku as a balancing beam. She ran up behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and then flipped high in the air landing in front of Inuyasha, making him fall down from surprise.

Without hesitation, as soon as her feet hit the ground, she took off ahead of them until she was out of sight.

Helping Inuyasha up, Miroku asked: "Aren't you going to go after her Inuyasha?"

"What and bring _that_ back!" he yelled, with mock astonishment.

For once, they both agreed with him.

They all were enjoying the silence, when an ear-piercing scream caused them to halt in their steps and Inuyasha too cover his ears, Kagome had worn-out both Shippo and Kirara so much that they only stirred in their sleep.

The trio then saw Kagome running at top speed toward them, they expected to see a demon after her but didn't, instead as Kagome got closer they noticed that she still wore that insane grin which, if possible, had become bigger, sending chills down their spines.

"SANGO!" She screamed, as she got closer.

Said person grimaced, while the other two gave her sympathetic looks, while being glad that they weren't her targets.

When she got to them she picked Sango up by her arms and spun her around, all the while chanting, "Sango, Sango, Sango!" Shippo and Kirara went flying, but thankfully, they were caught by Inuyasha and Miroku. You can bet they woke up then.

"What is it Kagome?" Sango said gratefully when she was finally put down.

Kagome was dancing from foot to foot, obviously excited by something.

"Well. What is it?" Inuyasha said becoming annoyed

Kagome was obviously too excited to say, because she suddenly let out an irritated growl, grabbed Sango's arm and took off running, but not before grabbing Miroku's arm also, who out of fear grabbed Inuyasha's. Shippo and Kirara hung on for dear life.

* * *

Kagome had been dragging them for a while before Inuyasha decided to speak up. 

"Kagome where the hell are you taking us... ahhh?" just as he finally got the words out did Kagome stop and dropped them.

Sitting up they saw that Kagome had brought them into a forest, in front of the branches of a giant weeping willow **(which are my favorite type of trees.)**.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING US HERE?"

"Yes Kagome what is so special about this...ohhh." Sango had started to ask, but stopped when Kagome pushed back the branches to reveal a clearing with the tree itself in the middle. And everywhere you looked where hot springs. Big ones little ones, hot ones, warm ones. They were everywhere. Round 20-40 of them.

Kagome who had had her back to them tuned around to face hem, a normal smile on her face.

"I was thinking with all these hot springs, we could all enjoy a nice soak."

"Are you sure about that Kagome, aren't you forgetting something?" Sango asked as she came to stand by a now normal Kagome and looking accusingly at Miroku.

"No problem Sango." Kagome said triumphantly as she took her bag from Inuyasha, who was holding it for her. Dug through it for a moment Kagome finally emerged with two bathing suits

"Yes excellent Kagome." Sango smiled while clapping her hands.

"We'll be right back." She said as she and Kagome went behind the branches of the weeping willow, while the boys stayed on the inside.

After a few minutes the girls emerged again, the guys had already shed most of their clothes and were sitting in a hot spring in the shape of a misshapen R.

Sango had insisted that she wore the one piece. It was a dark purple, and most of the back was out, but she thought it was less revealing then Kagome's bathing suit. So that left Kagome with the two-piece, it was dark green. Expecting for Sango to do that, Kagome also brought along a pair of daisy-dukes to put over the bikini bottom, and wore a black fishnet shirt.

They chose a hot spring that was a little ways off from the guys.

After a while of soaking Sango finally got up the courage to ask Kagome something she had been meaning to ask for a while. "Kagome what the hell was wrong with you today, I was feeling more than willing to render you unconscious."

Kagome blinked (although Sango couldn't tell because of the now wet bandage) at her friend for a while before smiling out of unease. "Um...I don't know. It's been real hard to control my emotions lately" seeing the confusion on her friends face she continued. "You remember when you guys found me asleep in that tree and I...umm started yelling at Inuyasha." Here Sango nodded yes. "Well I usually get mad at him for being rude, but the anger just took over. And today I was happy, but I was so happy I got drunk off it."

The girls were silent as Kagome finished. That is, they were quiet. Bubbles had started to form from the middle of the spring and out popped Shippo.

"AHH, SHIPPO WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" both Sango and Kagome screamed.

Looking as innocent as ever he pointed to a spring by the base of the tree where one of the roots had come up, and held the sleeping fire cat on it.

"But how did you get here?"

"Oh." He said smiling. "All of the springs are connected." In the background the sound of someone gasping, and water splashing is heard.

Meanwhile the girls and Shippo had started to play with each other in the water.

They had just thrown Shippo over to the other side of the spring, and were waiting for him to resurface, when they felt bubbles blowing on their lower halves.

They froze not sure of what to do, and yelped aloud, when they felt hands grabbed their butts, and their bodies being lifted out of the water.

"Well look at what I caught." Miroku laughed aloud. His laughter was soon cut short by a clawed hand grabbing the top of his head.

"And look what I caught." Inuyasha said boredly, as he set Miroku down then looked at the girls, who had ducked under the water out of habit, as they glared at the topless monk and Inuyasha, Who's, body shined from being wet in the little moonlight that got through the branches of the weeping willow. Casting a glow to the muscled forms.

Looking at each other with red faces, the girls dunked out of sight.

Bubbles on the other side of the clearing signified the girls emerging from the water. After a while and the girls didn't emerge and he bubbles started to become bigger, the guys started to worry.

Before they even reached the bubbling hot spring, it exploded. When the water died down in a giant water serpent loomed overhead leering at them. Its scales were purple, while it's under belly was lavender. It didn't have any arms, and only one eye. It had two pale-yellow horns on its head, and green hair.

"Where are the girls?" Miroku asked Inuyasha, staff in hand.

"Kagome? You better be alright stupid girl." Inuyasha said quietly to himself.

Inuyasha picked up tetsuaiga not takings his eyes off the demon loomed over their heads.

When Inuyasha had gotten hold of the tetsuaiga, the demon lunged forward, mouth open revealing sharper then razor teeth.

The guys scattered out of the demon's way. Instead of turning around to come at them again, the demon dived into one of the hot springs.

"Inuyasha where will it come up again?" Miroku asked looking at all the springs frantically.

"I can't tell when it's under the water." Inuyasha answered also looking around.

All was silent as they awaited the demon's next move, but when the move was made, they were unprepared.

It had snuck up behind them, coming out the spring it was intending to bite Miroku's head off, when a giant boomerang came out now where and knocked it onto the ground.

"Need some help boys?" Sango said catching **(what is that boomerang's name?)** her weapon, with Kagome by her side arrows out and ready, while Shippo sat on a transformed Kirara's back, all fully dressed.

"No we're just fine. We can handle it by ourselves, right Miroku? Miroku?" Inuyasha said indifferently.

"Maybe we should go ahead and let the girls finish the demon." Miroku said already by the girls' side.

"Traitor."

Just then the demon rammed into Inuyasha, sending him to the ground, and charged at the others.

Inuyasha sprang into action. Leaping in front of the charging demon Inuyasha prepared to stroke it down.

But someone beat him to it. If not for his keen hearing and fast reflexes, he would have been killed by the purifying arrow that passed his shoulder and singeing it a little, hitting its target killing it instantly.

"You stupid girl." he turning to Kagome. "You could have killed me."

Kagome wasn't hearing him, that purifying arrow had drained her, a lot. "Not now Nu Nu. I'm too tired to argue." She said leaning on Miroku and closing her eyes falling to sleep immediately.

"Nu Nu?" Inuyasha said making a face.

"Lady Kagome has defiantly been acting strange lately." Miroku said as he put the sleeping hanyou on Kirara's back with Shippo.

"Nu Nu?"

"Yes, I asked her about that. She told me she couldn't control her emotions, she said they got out of control."

"Nu Nu?"

* * *

That night as everyone slept in the forest where the willow springs were, Kagome was having another dream. This dream was different from the rest. She found herself fighting a mantis demon. 

She noticed that she didn't fight with a bow and arrow, but with a sword and her claws.

She wasn't a bad fighter she realized. There wasn't anyone to protect, no one was there except her and the demon, and she was having fun.

She loved the way she moved gracefully when dodging and charging the demon, and she barely even got a scratch on herself.

She was free. Having fun as she fought the demon. Doing tricky maneuvers, using different techniques. She was a professional.

I never knew fighting could be so fun. So that's why Inuyasha does it all the time.' She thought as she finally killed the demon.

And as she sheathed her sword.

She woke up, with a new emotion.

* * *

That day as the gang was walking; Kagome couldn't help but feel anxious, restless, hostile, and bored. To pass the time as they traveled Kagome listened to her CD player, and jumped along to the music ignoring everyone else. 

Everyone had a little distance from her, especially Inuyasha. You see he didn't know Kagome was feeling hostile today, and he made her mad.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Hurry up you stupid humans. We don't have all day." Inuyasha yelled at the slowly moving group.

"Wait Inuyasha, we just woke up and had breakfast. If we move to fast, we'll get sick." Kagome said in a sweet voice as she rolled up her sleeping.

"Well you're a hanyou now, at least you could move faster stupid girl."

Kagome felt her eye twitch. "Inuyasha...if you don't be patient...I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what. Sit me and go home." He laughed feeling as if he had the last say.

Kagome didn't know what came over her. It was as if something in her had just screamed ATTACK '. Because the next thing she knew was that, her ears laid flat on her head and she had charged Inuyasha.

Inuyasha who was caught completely off guard by this **(who wouldn't)** had been bulled over into the bushes.

It was truly a horrific sight for the others. They knew Kagome had a temper, but come on she just brutally attacked the unsuspecting hanyou into the bushes. They couldn't see the two hanyous, but the bushes were shaking violently and anguished screams and yells were coming from it.

**End Flashback

* * *

**

Kagome was listening to the music, but then she wasn't. She was thinking. She didn't know what was wrong with her. In the day she couldn't' control her emotions, and one was always dominate, and at night she felt all calm, peaceful, and relaxed. She felt like her old self at night. And then have dreams that she couldn't even remember the next day.

She didn't understand the mood swings she's been having. She hadn't meant to attack Inuyasha; it was just like something inside her had snapped.

She was listening to Eminem **(I am not going to tell you which song let your imagination run wild.)**

Everyone else was scared now, and became jumpy when she neared them. She didn't notice any of it; she was off in her own little world of music.

Inuyasha was on the breaking point of just killing her right then and there, when he sensed a demon aura about.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled towards the slightly demonic miko.

"WHAT!" was her irritated answer, you see she had also sensed the demon and was itching for a fight

"Do you sense any shards?"

Immediately everyone got on their guard. Because Inuyasha asking that meant a demon was near.

"Yeah I sense...umm...three. And there coming from up there." She said as she pointed towards the treetops.

All was silent, as they waited for the youkai to show itself. The silence was soon interrupted by the rapid flapping of wings. That all hey heard at first was the wings, then the tree tops starting to move, and then with a slashing noise, a giant praying mantis.

Kagome tried to choke down the gasped that threatened to escape as a feeling of DE JA VU hit her.

Well this feels strangely familiar.' She thought to herself as her hand moved sub-consciously to her side, where a sword would be, without her noticing of course.

"Kagome, where are the jewel shards." Inuyasha voice yelled bringing her back to reality.

"Umm...in the back of the head!" Kagome told him, her hostility and anxiousness to fight slipping away.

"Right. Sango you and Miroku distract it while, I go in for the kill. Kagome you stay back with Shippo."

"Come on Kagome!" Shippo said nervously as he pulled her out of the clearing and behind some bushes.

Behind the bushes, Kagome and Shippo watched the battle. They weren't doing too good.

Sango and Miroku were trying to distract the demon, but it was hard since it mainly just kept its eyes Inuyasha. Sango threw her boomerang, but the youkai's skin was tough as cement, so the weapon just circled off it and back towards.

Miroku couldn't use his wind tunnel because of the jewel shards implanted in the youkai's head. So he was fighting with his staff.

And Inuyasha wasn't any better. The mantis was fast and quick to his intentions. It didn't even seem to feel the wounds that they were inflicting on it, it just seemed to want to bite or chop Inuyasha's head off.

Inuyasha had managed to dodge all of its attacks significantly, but his hair had come into many narrow escapes.

He was just a bout to attack the youkai, when he noticed a dark figure hanging on a flimsy branch above the youkai's head, by one arm.

Narrowing his eyes his eyes, he finally saw what it was. "Kagome, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET AWAY FROM THERE." but it was too late. She had dropped and straddled the youkai's shoulders, prying at the jewel shards.

The mantis was furious. It completely ignored the others and started to try to get the girl of his back. It jerked and bucked around, and tried to get at her with its pincers, but they couldn't reach her.

In the mean time, Kagome was having the time of her life. Adrenaline was pumping in her ears, as she rode the youkai like a bull rider.

With one, wild jerk Kagome went flying, and landed up side down on her back, on the ground. Still laughing.

"Whew! What a rush." She said standing up and brushing the dust off her robes, the three-jewel shard clutched firmly in her hands. Ignoring the astonished bug-eyes, everyone was giving.

"KAGOME WATCH OUT." Inuyasha yell as he pushed her out of the way of the youkai's pincer, but he wasn't so lucky.

He had gotten the full blow. Through the back and out the stomach. His blood dripped off the demon's pincer like a leaky faucet. You could see the pain clearly written on his face.

And just as fast as he struck Inuyasha the youkai yanked his pincer back out with a painful jerk spurting blood on the ground behind Inuyasha.

With the pincer, gone Inuyasha sank to his knees, tetsuaiga supporting him up as he breathed in hard, the area around him turning dark from his blood.

Kagome stood horrified at the sight like everyone else. But she was the most. That was suppose to be me'

Miroku seemed to snap out of the trance they had been in first. With the shards, safely out of the way he quickly used his wind tunnel. That job done he turned around to see Sango had started to bandage the now unconscious Inuyasha. Kagome had sunk down on the base of a tree a ways off from Inuyasha, Shippo by her side. At first, he wondered why Kagome hadn't bandaged Inuyasha, but then it came to him. The rancid smell of blood. With her new hanyou senses, she must have felt sick from the smell.

_'Poor thing.'_ He thought grimly.

* * *

It was dark now. They had moved inward into the forest away from the battle sight. 

When they had settled in, and a fire was successfully running, Inuyasha decided to wake up.

Looking around he saw everyone was asleep, well they looked and sounded asleep to him.

With a grunt, Inuyasha lifted himself into a sitting position, holding his bandaged stomach.

Now that he was sitting up it got a better look at his "_friends_".

Miroku with his eyes closed, chin in his chest, was leaning against the tree, staff in his lap. And Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the two handprints on each cheek, both looking mysteriously like fist.

Sango was lying down on the other side of the clearing subconsciously stroking the sleeping Kirara.

Shippo was snuggled deep into to Kagome's sleeping bag, hugging the life out of her pillow thing'.

And Kagome. Kagome? Where was Kagome?

Inuyasha looked all around but he couldn't se her anywhere. Finally, he caught her scent.

She was in the tree above him. Looking up, sure enough, he saw her sitting on a low branch just above his head. Her head was resting against the tree trunk staring into the sky. She was wearing her headphones CD player. Inuyasha could hear the music blasting out of it. He couldn't tell if she was sleep or not, the bandages covered her eyes.

Looking up at her, Inuyasha couldn't help but let a small smile spread across his face.

"She's been watching over you since Sango cleaned you up." A voice said startling Inuyasha, his smile immediately vanishing.

"How long have I been out?" Inuyasha asked as he stared at his now, not so sleep 'friends'.

"Just a couple of hours." Sango said still stroking Kirara.

"You weren't hurt too badly for demon standards. It shall heal after a day of so. If you don't irritate it too much." Miroku stated mildly to Inuyasha.

But Inuyasha wasn't listening. The wind had just blown a scent towards him, that he didn't like one bit.

He felt a growl form in his throat automatically. He hated that scent. Oh how he hated that scent. And he absolutely loathed the demon that that scent belonged to. And vice versa with that demon and Inuyasha.

"Sesshomaru" Inuyasha growled as he grabbed tetsuaiga that laid next to him on top of his fire rat coat.

Using the sword as a cane, he hobbled out of the field. Followed by his protesting companions. All leaving a dead to the world Shippo and Kagome.

They soon arrived to a grassy opened field. And standing in the middle of it, in all his beautiful gorgeous glory, stood Sesshomaru.

"So nice of you to join, this Sesshomaru, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said his voice as blank as his face**. (I haven't seen much of the show with Sesshomaru in it, to know how he acts, so if he seems ooc it isn't anything I can help. But I'll try my best.)**

"What the hell do you want Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha growled at his brother.

"Why do you ask when you already know the answer?"

"If you've come for the sword you ain't getting it." Inuyasha yelled as he stood up straight despite the pain in his abdomen. Unsheathing tetsuaiga he held the transformed sword out in front of him about to fall over from the strain.

Sesshomaru watched him boredly as if waiting for him to collapse, which he did.

Eyes slightly narrowed Sesshomaru spoke: "you're not even fit to fight. Just hand over the sword now Inuyasha and I'll make your death short and painful. "

Sango and Miroku got into fight stances in front of Inuyasha as Sesshomaru made his way towards them.

Inuyasha sat on the ground eyes narrowed to slits, growling, no, snarling at Sesshomaru as he clutched his abdomen in pain.

* * *

_'It's now or never Kagome.'_ Kagome said to herself as Sesshomaru made his way over to the already fallen Inuyasha. 

Picking up a stone, she threw it with all her might at Sesshoumaru's head. And as she watched that stone get closer and closer to it's destination, that feeling of hostility and bravery started to return. She wanted to fight she realized. She was almost manic with excitement.

She wasn't a bit discouraged when Sesshomaru caught the stone in his hand. He looked at the rock in his hand then at Kagome, his expression may have been expressionless, but he was surprised, a little.

_'Inuyasha's wench_,' he remembered. '_She's a hanyou like the half-breed. No doubt, she did it to be with him. Humans are so idiotic.' Hm. What happened to her eyes'_ he wondered?

He watched as Inuyasha's wench slowly made her way into the clearing. She stopped a few feet in front of Sesshomaru. And she wore a smirk that made him want to bite it off.

She stood on her hip with one clawed-hand on the other. That smirk showing off her fangs, with her head cocked to the side, ears twitching only slightly.

He couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked.

"Yo, Sesshomaru if you want to fight someone for the sword, why don't you fight me?"

"NO! KAGOME WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Inuyasha yelled from behind her.

"KAGOME YOU MAY BE HANYOU BUT YOU CANNOT FIGHT HIM!" Miroku yelled.

"I AGREE KAGOME GET OUT OF HERE! WE CAN HANDLE THIS!" Sango also yelled

Thanks for all the support guys.' Kagome thought. One of her eyebrows twitching.

"You should listen to your friends, girl. They speak the truth." Sesshomaru said in his vacant voice.

"Huh. I didn't hear anything." Kagome lied, ears twitching from her still yelling friends. "Nope don't hear a word they're saying." She said still smirking.

Sesshomaru could have laughed right then and there, if he wasn't the cold-hearted emotionless demon he was.

"Very well wench. If a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." With that, said Sesshomaru clasped his fist over the stone, which he still held. There was a crunching, grinding, breaking sound, then he opened his hand and dust blew out.

Now Kagome's whole eye was twitching. _'What the hell have I done?'_ she thought as Sesshomaru charged at her.

_'Oh god, why did I do it. I'm gonna die.'_

Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha all charged into the clearing but were stopped by a black shield that had somehow appeared.

_'Why is he taking so long to get here? Not that I want him to hurry up or anything, but come on how long has he been charging towards me.'_

Just as Sesshoumaru's was a few feet away from her, claw raised into a striking position, a song popped into Kagome's head.

She wasn't sure why but it was comforting, even if the song was "Bombs Over Baghdad".

Next thing Kagome knew was that she had begun to move to the music. She wasn't aware of anything. Not the charging demon with the deadly claws coming towards her, not her friends beating on the mysteriously put black shield dome, and not the fact that her eyes were glowing amethyst through the bandages. It was just her and the music. She was in a far off place with nothing but fast music.

She was only vaguely aware that she was moving. And not just moving, but blocking, jumping, flipping, running, and laughing. It was like a far off dream, and she never wanted to wake up.

Sesshomaru smirked, as he smelt the fear radiating off her petite figure.

_'That bitch didn't know what she was getting herself into.'_ he thought as he bought his claw up to deliver the striking blow.'

Just before his arm could come down, her scent changed. First confusion, then to glee.

He didn't have time to ponder on this; he had already hesitated. Now it was time to kill.

Swinging his claw down, he was astonished when it hit air.

_'Where'd she go?'_ he asked himself. It was ½ a second later when he finally noticed the slight pressure on his arm.

Looking up he saw that it was Kagome.

Apparently, when his claw had come down, she had jumped in the air and landed on his arm. She was standing on her hands, on his arm, legs in a split formation in the air.

Her small petite body had allowed her too move faster, and go unnoticed on his arms.

She pulled her legs out of the split, they were now pointing straight into the air. She then pulled both her legs down onto his arm, she was now in the position to crab walk, pulling her top half up, she place her arms on his shoulders then, while keeping a firm grip on him, she flipped her self off him, they were now back to back. Her hand still on his shoulders she flipped him over her head into the air.

**(I hope ya'll could follow that because I barely could myself. And if you're wondering why he let her do all this, the answer is this: everything is happening very fast and I am just slowing it down. And if it seems she can fight better than anyone its all-pure luck. You see the way to judge your opponents next move, you have to see their eyes, and he can't see hers. So there you go, enjoy the rest of the show.)**

The toss had caught Sesshomaru off guard. For a little ½ hanyou, she sure was strong. While in the air, Sesshomaru quickly readjusted himself so that he landed on his feet gracefully.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he charged at her again. This time going at her now stop.

He'd punch she'd dodge, He swung she ducked, She kicked, he blocked. That's how it looked to the others outside the dome, which the fighters haven't noticed.

But in reality Kagome wasn't ducking, dodging, and kicking. She was dancing to the unheard music. She was doing a number of bends, twists, jumping, flipping, spins, and laughing.

Laughing. Oh how he hated the laughing. _Her_ laughing. Laughing at _him_. Mocking him. _Her_. A lowly human, no not human, or demon, not even a hanyou. She was ¼ youkai. Even below a worthless hanyou. And here she was, besting the great Lord Sesshomaru.

This enraged him, and made him even more determined to defeat her.

With this newfound determination, he got a hit in on her. Right in the face, successfully silencing her and the infuriating laughter.

That blow to the face sent her flying back. When she finally landed on the ground, she tumbled a while before she ended up a heap on the ground.

Sesshomaru had to smirk at the sight. To think, he, Sesshomaru, thought of her as a tiny threat. The wench, who, with one blow to the face, ended up a defeated heap on the ground.

"NO! KAGOME!"

"SESSHOMARU, YOU BASTARD, STAY AWAY FROM HER."

"YOU BEAST...SHE'S JUST A GIRL."

He heard the ranting of Inuyasha's companions but he didn't heed them as he slowly made his way towards the girl.

He was only a few feet away from her, when she started to move.

He gasped and took an involuntary step back. As soon as he did this, he felt ashamed of himself. What was he stepping back from, a human girl? She can't even steady herself.' he thought to himself as he watched her shake from the effort of getting.

She was shaking. Shaking. Shaking from laughter. She stood up drunkenly on her legs, her head facing the ground. She continued to laugh, louder, and louder until it was all you could hear. That laughter, that laughter it was driving him crazy. That insanely..._dirty_ laughter.

"Is that all you've got to offer fluffy?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes to barely recognizable slits.

Her head suddenly snapped up revealing her eyes glowing violet through the bandages. "Is that all you've got to offer?" she repeated now standing up straight, flexing her claws, which seemed to have gotten longer. Now that he noticed. That miko robe she wore seemed to have gotten tighter too. Showing her curves more. He couldn't help but notice them. **(I think he could've. But that's just me.)**

Without warning Kagome came at him, in the same manner as he had charged her with. Only she still heard music, and came running towards him in a dancing manner.

He was watching her every move, he wasn't going to be caught off guard this time.

But he was.

As she neared him, Kagome seemed to disappear altogether.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened momentarily before he jumped out of the way, as Kagome fell from the sky, her fist hitting the ground, and leaving a medium sized hole, where he had been standing.

With a high-pitched yell/laugh, Kagome launched at the taiyoukai, where they immediately got into a battle of punches, kicks, and blocks.

Sesshomaru got the most hits out, but she didn't seem to notice, in-fact she seemed to laugh harder, as if it tickled or something.

"It's time to end this now, wench." Sesshomaru said in an unruffled voice, as he positioned his poisonous claws for an attack.

"We'll see about that." Kagome growled, all laughter gone.

Sesshoumaru's hand came down towards Kagome face. If not for her quick movement she would have surely died. When Sesshoumaru's hand had come down, she sidestepped to the side, only her bandage had been affected.

The poison ate away at her bandages as quick as...something quick.

Sesshomaru watched as the cloth fell away from her glowing eyes. She raised her head up, and glared devilishly into his eyes. He saw that her eyes were...and then he knew no more.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru's body flashed violet, and then go rigid. His eyes stared blankly at her, unmoving, only hearing, and seeing. He just stood unmoving, hands down by his side.

Kagome smirked. Running as fast as she could, she jumped up and landed a kick straight into his chest. Sending his stiff body to the ground.

Kagome's eyes stopped glowing as she strode over to him.

She stood, smiling over him. She had placed one of her legs on either side of him. Squatting down she looked him in the eye.

"I believe you owe me something," she said as she untied his yellow and purple sash. Waving it in his face, she stood up. Putting the necessary spell on the sash, she started to walk away, but a clawed hand shot and grabbed her ankle. Looking back, she smiled.

"This isn't over bitch." Sesshomaru grunted out, trying to fight off the enchantment.

Wrenching her foot out of his grasp, Kagome bent down to whisper in his ear. "The name is Kagome. K-A-G-O-M-E. Kagome. Hear it, learn it, eat it. Oh and before I forget. You're gonna be very sleepy. You already are. In fact, you're going to go to sleep right...now." And with that said, Sesshoumaru's unmoving eyes, fluttered shut.

Giggling to herself Kagome strode over to her friends, but not before tying Sesshoumaru's sash around her eyes.

Her traveling companions gaped open mouthed at her. She ignored it, for a sudden sleepiness had overcome her.

All music gone. She blinked sleepily at them.

"Ka-Kagome? Do you realize? Do you realize what you just did?" Miroku asked as they all closed their mouth.

"No. what?" Kagome said truthfully.

"WHAT! DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?"

"Nope. Not at all." she said slowly shaking her head.

"So what you're telling us is that you don't know what just happened." Sango asked in an astonished voice.

"Uh-uh. Not a clue. Maybe you should tell me when I wake up. Nigh night." Then Kagome collapsed on the ground snoring.

"You know, lady Kagome is beginning to frighten me." Miroku said more to himself, as he tossed Kagome onto his shoulders, since Inuyasha was too hurt to do it himself.

"I know what you mean; she's starting to become an unsuspecting handful." Sango added in, staring at Kagome.

"Maybe we should just tie her up for the rest of the trip." Inuyasha piped in, glancing at his unconscious brother in the field.


	3. Chp 3 Lies or Truth

**Chp 3 Lies or Truth**

* * *

"Get rid of it." Inuyasha yelled.

"No I like it." she said rubbing the loose end of Sesshoumaru's sash.

"Well I hate it."

"Why? It's all silky, and soft." she said rubbing it against her face, her eyes closed in delight.

"Well...it stinks. Smells just like him." he growled making a grab for it.

"You're a lie. Your brother smells good," she said as she jumped out of his way, and putting a foot in his face to distance him from her.

"What does he smell like Kagome?" Sango asked curiously.

"Like spring flowers in the fresh rain." She said dreamily.

They were currently in a forest. (Big surprise there is it.) Miles away from Sesshomaru.

"Ooh that does smell good." Sango said as she imagined the scent in her mind.

"I don't care what the hell it smells like, get rid of it." Inuyasha said finally snatching Kagome's foot away from his face. He then made another grab for the sash.

With maneuvers, she didn't even know she had. Kagome dodged and jumped onto a tree trunk, safely out of his reach. (And I mean the tree trunk. Not a branch. The trunk.)

"I'm not getting rid of it. Besides, I need it to protect you and Miroku. You don't wanna go around mindless and under my control do you."

He seemed to think about this for a while. "Feh. What do I care?" he then sat down arms crossed, with his back to them.

"Good." Kagome said sighing.

"Kagome?" Shippo asked from Sango's shoulder, "How are you staying up there?"

"Huh...what do you mean?" she asked facing him.

"I mean...what are you hanging on...?"

"Ahhh...oomph."

"...too."

Kagome had fallen off the tree right into Miroku's lap, who, conveniently for him, was sitting under it.

"Why Kagome, I believe you're finally beginning to fall for me. Is it now the time to ask if you would..." Miroku didn't get to finish his question, because the connecting of giant boomerang and head sent him to the land of unconsciousness.

Sighing Kagome looked up into the sky at the moon. Something she found herself doing a lot of lately. The moon was almost gone.

Kagome was suddenly overcome with grief, pain, sorrow, and loneliness. And just as quickly as it came, it left. Jumping out of the unconscious Miroku's lap, Kagome gasped, at the sudden wave of emotion. Kagome now began to glow again. Only this time it was dimmer.

Ears drooping, Kagome watched the crescent moon with shaky breathing, unaware of the single tear running from her eye. She thanked Sesshoumaru's obi for keeping the others from seeing.

But it didn't keep them from seeing her rigid body, or from hearing her shaky breathing.

Stepping up behind her, Sango place a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Kagome? Are you ok?"

Ears perking up Kagome turned around to face them. All sadness, despair, and glowing light gone.

"I'm fine," she said smiling. Seeing their unconvinced expressions, she quickly added. "So, who's hungry?"

* * *

Kagome found herself sitting in a field of wildflowers. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and she sat up on her hands enjoying the breeze as it blew through her long black hair.

Her hair was in a high ponytail above her head and cascaded down in a heap on the ground. She was wearing a tight, black with light green spirals, body suit. The pants legs each had a split in them from mid thigh down.

A sword lay by her side, and on the other side sat a boy.

He wore an outfit very similar to Sesshoumaru's, only this guy's was a violet-silver color.

He had above shoulder length silver-white hair. She couldn't tell much about him since his bangs shadowed his face.

All she knew was that she was happy. Happy here in the meadow. Happy here with him. Whoever he was.

Here with him she felt complete. Felt like this was how everything was supposed to be.

Laying her head on his shoulder, she let out a contented sigh. She felt his hand wrap itself around her shoulder, as he rested his head on top of hers. And she knew at that moment that he felt the same way as she.

But just as she began to drift off to sleep. The perfectly cloudless sunny day, became clouded in big black clouds. The sun was blocked out completely. Kagome fell to the ground with a thump. The boy was gone. As Kagome looked around from her position on the ground, she didn't see the boy anywhere. Suddenly she felt it again. The feelings of grief, pain, sorrow, and loneliness.

The field was cold and dark now. The flowers all dead and gone, Kagome fell into a pit of despair. Literally.

The scenery around her seemed to crumble, and she fell into the darkness that it left behind.

* * *

Kagome jerked up out of her sleep. She was panting hard, and sweating. Carefully and quietly, Kagome crawled out of the sleeping bag, and made her way out of the clearing. She walked a good deal before she collapsed on a grassy hill.

Up on the hill she tried to accumulate her jumbled thoughts.

'_What is wrong with me? Why does my heart ache so? Why am I crying? Who am I crying for? Am I trying to remember something? Are these dreams, premonitions?'_ as Kagome thought about these she didn't notice the presence watching her obsessedly.

A breaking of a twig brought her attention to the woods, and what she saw made her heart stop and the air get caught in her throat.

There, in the woods, stood a lone figure. With white hair, and a face covered in shadows.

She started to breathe again, only it came out shakily. And as she watched, the figure took a step closer and closer, until he was right in front of her. Looking up at his face, Kagome burst into tears. It was only Inuyasha.

Hearing her crying, Inuyasha crouched down to try to comfort her, even though he didn't have a clue about what was wrong.

"Shh, it's okay Kagome." He told her as he patted her head awkwardly. He was surprised when she launched herself onto himself, crying even harder.

"Oh...Inuyasha...I...don't...I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so confused." She managed to tell him through her sobbing.

Not knowing what to say, he said nothing. He just let her cry her heart out in his arms.

The other presence just looked on intently.

* * *

That day as they set out, everyone noticed that Kagome seemed distant and melancholy. She was unusually quiet and she stayed close to Inuyasha.

Her mood seemed to radiate off her body and spread out among the rest.

Nothing they did seemed to cheer her up. Shippo tried to get her to play with him, Sango tried to engage her into conversation, and Miroku tried many a times to get her attention, but all of their attempts were unsuccessful.

Kagome even tried to get herself out of the unhappy stupor, but all attempts seemed futile. Every time she tried, that face would appear before her. Face covered in shadows. Except his mouth. She could see his mouth this time, and he would smile, and then disappear. Leaving her cold, alone, and sad again.

Taking a glance at her companions, she winced with guilt. They all looked miserable, and she knew it was all her fault. She opened her mouth to say something when a strong gust of wind came from nowhere making her stop in her tracks.

As the wind blew around her in a cyclone, she noticed it was only affecting her. The others just stared with worried and confused eyes.

Inside the cyclone of wind, Kagome began to notice a few things.

1) The wind wasn't as strong as she had thought; it was downright gentle, almost playful.

2) There was a mixture of flower petals dancing in the wind, filling her sensitive nose with a wonderful fragrance.

3) She was glad she no longer wore her uniform, or this situation would have been embarrassing.

4) She found that she rather enjoyed this playful little wind that made her hair dance up in the air with it.

With a new sort of wave of joy, she put her hands in the air to join her hair. Closing her eyes, she began to move along with the wind, unwary of the calls and looks of her friends or the way her innocent playful wind lashed out violently at them every time they neared her.

Amidst her pleasures of happiness, Kagome didn't notice the wind picking her up off the ground and moving her through the air away from her friends, who, chased and called for her.

It was only when she touched down again and the wind died down did she notice that she was alone again. Feeling eyes watching her Kagome began to move around in a panic.

She was in a clearing, in a dark forest, alone, and withsomething watching her. She was either paranoid or crazy.

"You shouldn't go off playing with strange winds you don't know, little miko. Or should I say, little hanyou?" a sadistic voice said above Kagome's head.

Looking up panicky, Kagome let out an involuntary growl. Sitting up in the tree in a bored manner, was Kagura.

"What do you want with me Kagura?" Kagome growled at the wind demon.

"To have wanted you. I would have to care about you. And I don't give a damn about. You have nothing I want, and everything you have I've already had. I am just acting as deliverer for him." She said as she pulled out her feather and mounted it.

"Ku ku ku Kagura. Try to be a little nicer to my guest." A voice said smoothly from close behind Kagome.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Kagura said from up on her feather. "Well since you're here and all, I guess I'll be living." And with that said she flew off.

Back on the ground, Kagome was frozen on the spot, literally. She couldn't move, couldn't even talk, only blink and breathe. She wanted to cry out in protest as a clawed hand wrapped itself around her shoulders, and she felt the body of someone pressed against her back. She wanted to shiver and run, as Naraku put is cheek against her cheek and began to speak. **(I rhymed people! YAY for the authoress!)**

"Don't fret your head miko, I come not to harm you, but to talk...you're very beautiful you know. Does the hanyou ever tell you that?"

'No he always compares me to Kikyo' her mind told her against her wishes.

"Or does he compare you to his dead miko lover?" Naraku continued his silky voice sending chills down her arms.

'Yes he does. He always does.' She thought again sadly.

Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara burst into the clearing.

"Naraku!" they all growled at him getting into attacking stances. But before any could draw their weapon, they were flung back and tied to trees, by Naraku's miasma. **(They're not having a very good day are they?)**

"GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!" Inuyasha yelled as he struggled against the miasma.

"KAGOME GET AWAY FROM HIM! KAGOME? KAGOME!" Sango screamed out as she also struggled.

"It's useless; she's in some kind of trance. You have to snap her out of it." Miroku said to both Sango and Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha? Sango? Uh...Miroku?" Kagome said weakly, hearing their voices in a far off place.

"Yes we're here lady Kagome. Come to us. Get away from Naraku." Miroku said gently but sternly to her.

"Do not listen to them Kagome." Naraku said, smirking at the group, into Kagome's ear, his lips brushing it as he spoke. "That is what you want to be called right. Kagome. Not wench, woman, miko, shard detector, or anything. Just plain Kagome. I can call you that. If you'll just come with me."

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM KAGOME. HE'S A LIAR." Inuyasha yelled out to her.

"Is it a lie Kagome? Do you really want to be called his shard detector?" Naraku asked her his scarlet eyes staring into Inuyasha's amber ones. (Is it just me or does...Naw I'm not gonna say it.)

"No. No I don't." Kagome said firmly.

"NO KAGOME. THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT. I...WE CARE A LOT ABOUT YOU. NARAKU IS ONLY FEEDING YOU LIES." Inuyasha cried out to her.

"No! He feeds you lies! He doesn't care about you! He only sees you as Kikyo's reincarnation! But I on the other hand, see nothing of Kikyo in you! You are you. Kagome Higurashi. Beautiful, strong, smart, sensual Kagome."

He now began to caress Kagome's face. "Come with me, be with me, and I'll treat you like the queen you are. Not like a lowly human. I'll love you." with that said, he licked her cheeked. **(That's sick and wrong I know, but Naraku's evil. And evil guys do creepy things.)**

An animalistic growl brought his attention to the hanyou. Inuyasha's eyes began to become outlined in red and his fangs were protruding through his mouth. Seeing this Naraku smirked again. Rubbing the back of his hand against Kagome's cheek, he began to untie the sash. Removing the sash, the others waited with baited breath to see Kagome's eyes, but they only saw a glowing green light.

Never taking his eyes off Inuyasha, Naraku spun Kagome around to face him and then bent down intent on kissing her, and Kagome didn't seem to trying to put up a fight.

With an animalistic growl, Inuyasha broke free of the miasma and charged at the still smirking Naraku.

When Inuyasha had got into arms reach of him, Naraku seemed to vanish. Seeing red, Inuyasha swiped at the spot where Naraku's head had been.

Naraku appeared above them on the branch of a tall tree. He was looking intently down at Kagome, who just stood staring with glowing green eye at the spot he had stood.

"Release yourself Kagome. Let your wants and needs loose. Release your passion, release your anger, and release your desires. Free it let it run wild. Vent it, let it out. Think about all the pain he has caused whenever he runs off to his dead lover"

Inuyasha's aim was true this time when he killed Naraku or more like his puppet.

"Damn you Naraku." Inuyasha growled clutching the wooden puppet in his hand.

With the puppet Naraku gone, the miasma vanished letting the others free from their imprisonment.

"KAGOME!" Shippo cried as he bounded for her, only to be caught by Miroku.

"Let me go Miroku!" he cried wiggling in his grasp.

"No Shippo. Look at her. She's not stable. It's too dangerous." Miroku told the little kitsune.

It was true. She didn't look stable at all. Her hair, which had become undone, hung stringy in front of her face, casting her face in shadows. Her glowing green eyes were wide open, and they looked angry. Her lips were parted in a quivering snarl, and she was growling. Oh how she was growling. A vicious growl, a frightening growl.

Then she stopped. Just stopped. Stopped growling, and stopped snarling. But the glowing eyes remained. And as she stood up straight and her hair moved out of her face, they noticed her change.

Her hair had become wild, and green. Her hair had grown down to her knees; it curled outward slightly at the bottom, and was spiked in other places. Her side bangs had grown down to below her chin then curled in towards it. Her front bangs had also grown. They grew to just below her eyes, and curled in all directions. **(Did I forget to mention her hair was green? I'm sorry I just wanted to say it again.) **

A jagged blue-green stripe appeared across her nose and stopping under each eye. Her ears had become bigger, but still black, no green. And her claws, which she had been flexing non-stop with a crazed look on her face, had become longer, sharper, and more deadly.

And the one thing Miroku noticed most was that her miko outfit fit even more snuggly.

With a sadistic smile upon her face, Kagome began popping her neck. When she stopped, she wiped her teeth with her tongue and disappeared. Only to reappear charging at Sango and Miroku.

She reached Sango first, but didn't spare a second before knocking the exterminator out of her ay and headed straight towards the monk. Miroku, out of experience, tossed Shippo to the side, grabbed his staff in both hands, and held it out in front of himself. It didn't seem to help. Kagome had also grabbed the staff and now had Miroku pinned to tree, his own staff choking him.

Sadistic smile still in place, Kagome bit down on her bottom lip, as she looked the monk up and down.

Miroku's breathing became labored and just plain stopped when Kagome put her head next to his and sniffed him. **(Ahh! That's not kosher. I love that word. Kosher. Kosher, kosher, kosher.)**

"Ka-Ka-Kagome?" a voice stammered, interrupting Kagome from doing whatever she was about to do to Miroku.

Looking to where the voice came from, Kagome's vicious expression softened. The voice belonged to Shippo. Soon her grip on Miroku began to diminish, and soon he fell to the ground, where, Sango ran to his side.

Seeing Shippo, Kagome started to get control over herself again. That is...she started.

Seeing as how she was distracted with Shippo, who was on the brink of tears, Inuyasha snuck up behind her and pinned her arms to her side.

As she saw the white hair land on her shoulder, Kagome's breath had gotten caught in her throat, but when she turned her head and saw that it was Inuyasha she became filled with rage and hate, and began to fight and beat against him.

"INUYASHA NO!" Shippo yelled up at the hanyou, "SHE WAS COMING TOO!"

"SHE WOULD HAVE TORN YOU APART!" Inuyasha yelled struggling with Kagome.

"NO SHE WOULDN'T. Kagome loves me, unlike you." Shippo said tauntingly to the older boy.

"Uh...why you little...ack." Inuyasha started, but with a sudden kick to the head by Kagome, caused him to stop...and loosen his hold on Kagome.

Kagome found her chance to escape after kicking Inuyasha in the head. When his grip became slack, she jumped away from him and began to spin. She spun faster and faster until all they saw was a tornado of color, and when it finally died down she was gone, and Inuyasha had a few cuts that weren't there a while ago.

"Where did she go?"

"What is it with wolf demons and tornados?" Inuyasha asked agitated getting up off the ground.

* * *

Kagome lost her mind. She lost her mind in a fit of hurt, rage, lust, and rebellion. Insane. Unstable. She ran. She ran and ran, destroying any and everything that crossed her past. She ran until she could not run no more.

Kagome began to come back into her mind. She found herself in a clearing, covered in blood not of her owns, and chunks of things she rather not know of. And all around her, in the clearing, was blood, bodies, body parts, and pieces of demons.

While looking at all the destruction around her, she began to tear up. Tears rolling down her face, Kagome looked at her blood-caked hands. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?" she cried out as more tears rolled down her face.

Taking a quivering breath, she sniffled, and immediately regretted it. The stench and odor of the dead youkai finally hit her. Moaning out a cry, she covered her nose with her hand, but it didn't help. Her hand was just as putrid as the clearing. Crying out again, she tried to run out of the clearing, but ended up slipping and falling, face first, on top of some youkai's bloody battered body.

Lip quivering, she stood on all fours and became sick in the grass. Wiping her mouth again, she stood up and ran out of the clearing, slipping, but never falling again.

She ran until she was sure the clearing was miles behind. But she didn't even stop then. She only stopped when she tripped over a branch of a tree. Now on the floor of the forest, Kagome cried. Not even trying to get up, she cried. She cried her heart out.

Breathing heavily, Kagome slowly stood up. Determined not to shed another tear, she began to walk through the forest, looking for a place to get cleaned.

It wasn't 30 min before she found a lake. It was large and quiet, with many a boulders sticking out of it.

She sniffled a few times as she pulled off her bloody tattered clothes, underwear, socks, and sandals, and put them on top of one o the boulders close to shore. Rubbing her arms for warmth, she stepped towards the water. She timidly placed one foot in the water and quickly pulled it out. A shiver ran up from her toe to her head. When she shook her head, she let out a yelp of surprise, as her newly grown hair brushed against her naked body. Reaching behind herself, she pulled the end of her hair o the front where she could see it better. It too was also caked in blood, but it was no longer green, just the regular black. Grimacing at her hair, she let it fall behind her. Looking back out to the lake, she took a deep breath, and then marched forward into it.

Now waist up in the water, she wrapped her arms around herself again teeth chattering from the cold. Just as she was thinking about getting out and going to find a hot spring, she caught her reflection in the lake. She looked at herself, covered in dry and wet blood, pieces of youkai flesh on her skin and in her hair. **(I'm just gonna let you know now, that Kagome doesn't remember being full youkai. And there's nothing to remind her except longer hair. No markings or anything like that.)**

Fighting down another bit of nausea, she let out a breath, and then dunked into the water. Under the water, she watched as it turned from a clear blue, to a foggy pink. She swam around a bit to get use to the cold. Now use to the water, she swam up to the surface. Breaking through the surface, Kagome drank the air greedily. Taking another deep breath, she dunked under again and began to scrub at her skin and hair.

Resurfacing again, she sniffed her hands. They still smelt of blood. On the verge of tears again, she got an idea. Sucking in a lot of air, Kagome dove to the bottom of the lake. Grabbing a handful of mud, she rubbed it all on her hands, body, and hair.

Kicking off the lake floor, Kagome headed towards the surface, by the time she made it their all the mud had washed off. Sniffing her hands again, she was relieved that the smell was gone. Swimming towards shore, she grabbed her clothes, and began to wash them.

After thoroughly cleaning her clothes, she placed them, stretched out, on the boulder to dry. Now this is when she realized she had a problem. She was wet, her clothes were wet, and she had no spare clothes too put on.

"Ok let's see what my options are."

"I could...

Stay in this freezing cold water and wait until my clothes dry. Consequence: get pneumonia. Upside: none.

Put wet clothes back on and try to start a fire. Keyword: try. Consequence: get pneumonia. Upside: at least won't be naked.

Try to start a fire while naked. Consequence: loss of dignity if seen. Upside: can cover naked body with hair.

I'll take what's behind door number...3," she said to herself as she pulled herself put of the water, onto the boulder.

"Well at least there is not much moonlight," she said as she rung her hair out.

* * *

_Clank_

_Clank_

_Clank_

"Why won't these stupid rocks works!" Kagome yelled out in frustration. Throwing the rocks down, she stood up rubbing her arms.

"Guess I'll have to put on those wet clothes."

Turning around she let out a gasp of surprise. There lying on the boulder; instead of her clothes, was a whole nother outfit.

Looking around with keen eyes, she didn't see or sense anyone around. While keeping a careful eye out, she slowly crept towards the garments. Seeing no one around, she picked them up the material. It was a silky black kimono, with pictures of cherry blossoms all over it, and high split on either side. Underneath the kimono, laid a pink sash, underwear, and two black hair needles. **(You know. Those two chopstick things you put in your hair.)**

After checking around again, to see if the clothes belonged to anyone, Kagome put them on.

"Wow! They fit." She said twirling around while looking at herself in the water.

Holding the soft material up to her nose, she inhaled deeply. "I can even smell the blossoms."

She was so engrossed with her new clothes, that she jumped 12ft into the air when something came crashing blindly into her little clearing.

Landing gracefully onto a rock in the lake, Kagome watched cautiously as the creature stumbled around her makeshift camp, ruining any chance she had at making a fire, as it trampled over her woodpile.

As the creature began to slow down, the stench of blood assaulted her sensitive nose. As a feral growl ripped through her throat involuntarily, the creature stopped dead in its track.

_'I'm still unstable.'_ she realized.

Kagome could tell by the way the creature trembled that it was more hurt than scared. And her having such a kind heart wanted to help it. Jumping from boulder until she got to shore, Kagome crouched down on the boulder to look at the trembling creature.

"Hey, demon," she yelled, for that is what she assumed it was, "I can help you, but you have to promise not to attack me. I'm a little unstable and I don't want to hurt anybody."

By the way, it froze then fell to the ground; she decided to help it no matter. Sliding off the rock, she made her way slowly over to the wounded creature, and as she got closer, she could see its feature better. It was a giant spider demon.

Kneeling down beside it and ignoring the way it trembled she looked for the wound. Holding it still incase it decided to attack with one hand, she roamed the other over its body, checking for blood.

"Ah hah!" she yelled triumphantly as she found the wound startling the already scared spider demon. "Now don't move. This won't hurt a bit." She told it as she focused her healing powers towards the wound.

Feeling the familiar warm power running down her arms to her fingertips, she vaguely noticed that the pink miko energy was tainted with a small amount of purple.

"There you go." She said sitting back yawning from her sudden fatigue. "You're as good as...as..."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?" An enraged voice yelled coming towards her.

Feeling the sudden demon aura coming towards her in a hostile state, sent Kagome into a panic causing her minute demon side to take over, and the first thing that she did as she let out an livid growl, was jump out of the approaching demons way, to land on a boulder not to far off.

The demon soon came to an abrupt stop in front of the spider demon, which hadn't moved since Kagome healed it, his back facing her. **(Which wasn't a good idea since Kagome was unstable and crazy mad.)**

"Koneko! Are you hurt? What did that demoness do to you?" the demon said frantically to the spider demon in a boyish voice as he checked its body for the former wound. "What's going on? There's blood, but no wound."

The spider demon then made a series of clicking noises as it pulled itself to its legs.

"Oh I see." Turning around to face the glowing eyed Kagome he bowed deeply towards her, causing her to stop growling and raise her head to look at him with curious glowing eyes. "Thank you very much miss." He said bashfully.

Blinking a few times, until the glow was gone; Kagome came into her right mind smiling. "For what?" she asked smiling.

The demon in front of her seemed to be about her age if not a little younger. He was wearing a green and white samurai's suit and sword. He had light blue hair in a ponytail that was draped across his shoulder. His eyes were an icy blue. He had long white horns sticking out from his hair, and small pointed ears.

"For helping koneko. And again I thank you, and I am very sorry for startling you." He said bowing again, this time mostly to hide his blushing face. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?" he asked her smiling into her face shyly.

"Well yes there is some...something," she said yawning again. "You see I've lost my friends and nee...nee..."

"Help finding them." He blurted out happily. Sure I can help you find them miss."

"Hmm?" Kagome said smiling to herself. She was just gonna ask him to light the fire for her, but hey she wasn't gonna complain. "What's your name stranger?" she asked him as she got off of the boulder and headed towards him.

"Berek." He said bashfully.

"Kagome." She said now standing directly in front of him her hand reached out to shake his. She thoughtfully noticed that she was slightly taller than him.

"Beautiful." He whispered aloud. (Is it possible to whisper out loud? Cause if you did, it wouldn't be considered whispering anymore. It'll be talking.)

"I mean...your name not you...b-b-but I don't mean y-you're not b-beautiful cause you are...I mean...ugh...you, I...uh...eh heh heh hehe!" Berek stammered nervously, his face as red as an apple.

"It's okay Berek. So where is your campsite?" she asked him putting her arm around his shoulder, causing him to turn even redder as he led her to his campsite. Koneko following closely behind.

* * *

Well that's the end to chapter 3. I hope you all like it.

Now remember to R&R, read my other fics.


	4. Chp 4 Rain Dancer

* * *

**CHP 4. Rain Dancer**

* * *

"PUT ME DOWN!" Kagome demanded angrily as she beat Berek in the back. 

"I'm sorry Miss Kagome, but you must not walk on an injured foot." Berek replied calmly, as he carried Kagome on his shoulder, when he could have just put her onto Koneko, who was falling silently behind.

"MY FOOT DOESN'T HURT! I'M A KLUTZ, I ALWAYS TRIP AND FALL!"

"It doesn't matter Miss Kagome, you must not aggravate an injury, even if it doesn't hurt.

"HUMPH!" Kagome pouted as she slumped against him in defeat.

"That's it Miss Kagome, we're almost there."

"Almost where?"

"Umm..." Berek stammered nervously.

"Um? What do you mean by um? We're going to your campsite aren't we?" she yelled becoming angry.

"I don't actually have one?" he said sheepishly as they stepped into a large clearing.

"So you mean we've been walking around aimlessly," she asked emotionlessly.

"Yes?"

"That's it...you're going down little man." Kagome said in a threatening voice as she readied herself for attacking.

"I'm sorry, but what are yo..." Berek began, only to stop mid sentence as Kagome's hand met his ribcage, causing him to drop her fall to the ground in a fit of laughter.

Smiling triumphantly Kagome stood up straight and turned to face Berek. "Now, now Bery." she teased as she saw him sitting on the ground with his head held down. "Just because I won't let you spoil me is no reason to mope."

But Berek didn't answer her, nor did he move.

"Hey, I didn't hurt you did I?" she asked worriedly as she began to slowly inch towards him.

"Are you alright?" she asked getting closer. She was a few paces away from him, when she suddenly caught his eye looking at her through his hair. It was glinting, but it was too late to move as he pounced, and tickled her back.

"Now, you should know better Miss Kagome. You should never pick tickle fights with strangers. For they could be tickle champions," he laughed as he mercilessly tickled her everywhere.

"I'm...I'm sor...sorry!" she laughed as tears rolled down her face.

"Say, I'm sorry Berek."

"I'm...I'm sorry Ber...Berek."

"Say, I didn't mean...," but whatever he was going to say was blocked from their hearing as a big clap of thunder drowned him out.

Stopping Kagome's torture, they both looked into the sky to see big, dark, rain clouds roll across the sky. Lightening occasionally flashing out.

"We better get some firewood, before the rain starts to fall." Berek suggested a pleased smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked suspiciously, as he helped her onto her feet, mindful of her alleged twisted ankle.

"It's going to rain."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes. I was feeling a bit wilted."

The sky became darker, and the wind began to pick up. Kagome and Berek had taken to the forest to scrounge for firewood to prepare for the on coming rain.

"Hey Berek, what happened to Koneko?" Kagome asked as they began to head back towards the cave.

"She went home," he said simply as they dumped the wood into a pile in the corner of the cave.

"Home? But I thought she was yours."

"Oh no, we're just friends. And as a friend, she accompanies me when traveling and offers rides. But I don't own her."

"Oh, I can see what you mean." Kagome said, thinking about Kirara and Sango.

"Hey look, here it comes!" Berek exclaimed jumping to the mouth of the cave just seconds before the rain began to pour. "Isn't that beautiful?" Berek asked, letting the rain pelt his front.

"Berek?" Kagome asked standing a good deal away from the rain. "What type of youkai are you?"

"Can't you tell?" he asked confusedly staring at her through wet eyelashes.

"No not really, why should I?"

"Most youkai would be able to tell what type of youkai I am by my smell. You may be hanyou, but still you should be able to tell."

"Oh you see I'm not a..." but she halted in her words. She had forgotten, she was _now_ a hanyou. "Well...could you tell me anyway? I couldn't really pick it up." she lied.

"Oh of course, how could I forget? It is sort of hard to tell when I'm in the forest. I'm a plant youkai."

"Oh!" Now she understood his enthusiasm with the rain, he needed it.

"So you need the rain, huh?" she asked, it being more of a statement than a question.

"No, I don't need the rain, it just...it just makes me feel so alive." he managed to say before flinging himself out into the rain, where he began to spin in delight.

Kagome sat down and began to make a fire, her eyes ever so often flickering towards the plant demon dancing in the rain. He seemed to radiate a greenish blue aura as he spun and splashed. His hair, which was already a light blue, had come undone and fanned out around him, making him look less childish as he finally stopped and looked at her, his hair plastered to his head, making him look halfway handsome and halfway beautiful.

And as she watched him collapse from dizziness into a puddle, she mistook him for a much older looking Berek.

"Hey, plant boy! The rain may make you feel alive, but if you don't get out of it you're going to drown!" she called out into the storm at him.

Berek sat up instantly at hearing her vice and smiled mischievously at her, and now she was certain that he looked older.

"Hey Wolf girl! You may like it high and dry but why don't you come and try a little rain dancing with me?" he yelled back, in a much deeper and masculine voice.

"What? Me? Come out there, and dance? With you? Oh, _no_." she said shaking her head and walking backwards only to bump into something big and solid.

Turning around she screamed in fright as she came face to mouth with a big green dragon. Screaming again, she ran out of the cave and smack dead into a laughing Berek.

"What are you laughing about?" she yelled angrily turning to face him. "Didn't you see that dragon, about to...to..." turning back towards the cave, she saw that the dragon was seemingly melting into grass. Her mouth dropped open in shock. "_You_." she said in an accusing voice as she turned to face him.

"Yes, me. How else was I going to get you out of there? And since we're both now wet, why don't..." but before he could finish, Kagome had tackled him, and started the most violent, wet, slopping, wrestling match of all times.

* * *

Their little fight soon changed into a playful game of rainy hide-and-seek in the woods, and Kagome was it. By now, she was soaked to the bone. Her hair was plastered to her head; her new kimono clung to her body, and she was getting moody. 

"I'm playing hide-and-seek, with a plant demon, in the woods, in the middle of a storm. Oh, this is going to be easy." she remarked sarcastically.

"Do you normally talk to yourself?" a tree asked through a manifestation of a childlike Berek's

face on it.

"Show off." she grumbled as she plopped herself down by the tree.

"What is wrong, Ms. Kagome?" Berek's head asked concernedly.

"I'm cold, wet, and playing hide-and-seek with a schizo plant demon."

"Schizo?"

"Yes, schizo. First, you were a cute little innocent kid, and then you turned into that big cute, yet sort of jerky, the good kind though, guy, and now you're a little boy. What's going on?"

Berek's head seemed to be blushing, which was a remarkable thing for a tree to do.

"I'm sorry if I caused you any distress Ms. Kagome, but I change ages over a period of time, and the rain sort of speeds it up. You first met me in my adolescent stage, then you met me at my adult stage, and now I'm in my childhood stage."

"Why?"

"Why what Ms. Kagome?" he asked confusedly.

"Why do you change?" she asked slowly.

"My mommy placed a curse on me a few years ago, but it backfired."

"Why was she even trying to put you under a curse?"

"She didn't want me to grow up.," he said in a carefree voice. "She really overbearing." he put in as an afterthought.

"Quite." Kagome said agreeing with him, but just then, a chill ran down her spine, and she knew it wasn't from the rain. Someone was watching her.

She mentally cursed in her head as a presence of evil started to claw at the edges of her mind, and the pulsating of Shikon shards was calling to her.

"Berek, do..." she began, looking up towards the tree, but stopped mid sentence seeing that his face was gone.

"Berek?" she called standing up.

In the distance, she heard screaming then Naraku's evil laughter.

"Naraku." She whispered fearfully, before bounding off towards the sounds of the screams.

Kagome burst upon a clearing and her eyes were immediately drawn towards the childlike Berek standing off to the side. He was being held up between two trees with Naraku's tentacles surrounding his body. She didn't see Naraku anywhere, but he could've hid anywhere in the clearing, for it was covered in his miasma.

Bounding, in an Inuyasha like fashion, over to Berek she pleased to hear him still breathing, but amidst checking his hearing, she also heard the sound of cutting air, and barely had enough time to dodge out of the way as a tentacle came spearing towards her back.

"Naraku." She breathed, hoping for all the world that Inuyasha would come bounding to her rescue.

"You called." Naraku said as suddenly appeared in front of her.

Jumping back in fright, she let out an involuntary growl. "What do you want Naraku? Shouldn't you be off playing with your dolls." she remarked, sounding braver than she felt.

"Why? I think I'll rather play with your little friend here." he said sadistically just before Berek began to scream in pain.

"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she growled angrily jumping at Naraku with bared fangs and claws, but before she could lay a hand on him, he disappeared.

"Ah, so there is some spark left." Naraku remarked as he took the torture off Berek and reappeared on the other side of the clearing.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily through newly, larger, sharpened teeth.

"Why, isn't that obvious by now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Poor, poor stupid girl. Do you think it was just a coincidence that the demon to attack you was a wolf demon? That the poison in your body didn't kill you. That you're turning into a demon. Get a clue girl. I did this. All of it."

"Even the dreams too?" she asked angrily as her rage began to cloud her mind.

'_Dreams_?' Naraku thought with surprise, before Kagome attacked.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she yelled in a horrifyingly demonic voice as she swiped at Naraku, only to have him disappear before she could touch him and reappear someone else in the clearing. This only fueled her anger.

"Because you were meant to be this way! _We_ were meant to be like this. Together. Don't you remember?" Naraku yelled as he dodged her attacks.

"You're delusional!" she managed to scream through her rage, as she charged at him fangs, and claws aimed for the kill.

"I've been watching you, Kagome. I've seen all your bizarre behavior. Haven't you wondered why you've been having those mood swings? It's the demon blood in you; it's reawakening those emotions in you. Haven't you noticed how familiar they've felt? How natural? Especially when you fought the western lord? I was there. And I saw how much you enjoyed it; the bloodlust was evident in your eyes."

"SHUT UP!" she yelled upping her attempts.

"That's right, keep fighting. The angrier you get, the more you fight, the faster the poison seeps through your veins and the faster you become full demon."

"I DON'T CARE!" she yelled as she became faster, and Naraku had to start fighting back, by sending root like tentacles at her, which she dodged with ease while still charging him. All the while, with Naraku smiling in triumph.

"Kagome! Stop!" a voice pleaded loudly, breaking into Kagome's rage. Stopping where she stood, she turned towards the source of the voice, and her face softened as her eyes landed on Berek. Now free of his bondage and struggling to stand on his own two feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern written all over her face, Naraku momentarily forgotten.

"NO! FIGHT! YOU HEAR? FIGHT!" Naraku yelled in an outrage as Kagome left him to check on Berek, but his outburst fell upon deaf ears.

"I'm alright, but what about...MS. KAGOME WATCH OUT!" Berek yelled pushing Kagome out of the way, as Naraku's tentacles tried to attack from behind.

"No, Berek." Kagome yelled, as she fell to the ground and realization popped into her head. "Don't fight him! You can..." but she stopped there, because he could, and he did.

After pushing Kagome out of the way, Berek stood in front of her as if to take the bunt of the blow, but he soon aged from childlike, to teenager, to young adult, but he didn't stop there. His handsome face soon turned demonically ugly, a muzzle started protrude from it, his arms grew large and grotesque, his horns grew sharper, his clothes burst as newly monstrous muscles stretched them to their limit. He grew taller and larger, his light blue hair grew longer and straggly, his fangs became larger and protruded from his mouth, and his eyes glowed icy blue, as he swatted Naraku's attack away like a bothersome fly. Roaring and baring rows of razor-sharp teeth, Berek advanced upon Naraku.

Giving Berek a look of disgust, Naraku vanished, but not without a message to Kagome.

"This isn't over. There are more ways than one to turn you full. I'll be back, sooner than you can believe."

"Uh, huh. Yeah, sure." Kagome mumbled half-heartedly, barely hearing Naraku's words as she stared up at the monstrous Berek. And for some strange, creepy, bizarre reason, Kagome honestly found that if she didn't have Inuyasha, that this side of Berek would have made her fall in love.

But as she stared at Berek, and Berek's large, _very large_, eyes stared at her; she couldn't help but adore him.

* * *

"Inuyasha, slow down, we need to rest." Sango yelled down at the hanyou, from the back of Kirara. 

"No, we got to keep going! She's out there alone!" Inuyasha retorted.

"But we've been searching non stop for hours. Kirara's getting tired." Shippo whined from the shoulders of Miroku.

"That's it, we're stopping." Sango announced as they landed.

It wasn't until he was a few yards ahead that Inuyasha realized they weren't following him. _'What do they think they're doing?'_ he thought angrily grinding his teeth, while bounding over to them.

"Uh, oh, here he comes." Shippo said under his breathe.

"What the hell are you guys doing? Why'd you stop?" he yelled angrily.

"We're tired and we need a rest." Sango said simply with a no-buts-about-it look.

"No you're not! You're going to get back on Kirara and continue searching for Kagome!"

"And we will. Tomorrow, it's getting late." Miroku answered this time.

"So, we're just going to wait? You act as if she'll come waltzing up to us out of the woods, yelling, with that annoying high pitched voice of hers, _Hi guys_!" he yelled, giving a poor imitation of Kagome's voice.

"Hi guys!" they heard a familiar voice yell.

Turning towards the forest, they saw no sign of Kagome, but instead, a huge monstrous demon, with straggly blue, hair and protruding fangs.

"Oh, what now?" Inuyasha yelled, as the demon came closer. Reaching for his sword he was stopped in mid movement as that same familiar voice cut through the air.

"Inuyasha, don't you dare!"

"Kagome! Where are you?" he asked as they all looked around.

"Up here!" Kagome yelled from her perch upon Berek's shoulder, as they stopped in front of the group. Grinning like mad, Kagome leapt from Berek's shoulders and landed into Inuyasha's arms.

"You are so lucky." She smiled as she kissed him on the nose, putting him into a minor shock coma.

"Hi guys!" Kagome cheered happily, jumping off Inuyasha to greet her other friends.

"Kagome!" Shippo yelled happily, launching himself into her arms.

"Hi, Shippo, I've missed you too."

"Lady Kagome, who's your friend?" Miroku asked, as he and Sango stared up the large demon.

"Oh." she said as she suddenly remembered Berek. Setting Shippo down, she jumped over to Berek and hugged his huge leg. "Guys, this is Berek. Berek these are my friends, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, Miroku, and Inuyasha."

The Inu-gang all waved a greeting as they were mentioned, all except Inuyasha who was still in a daze and Miroku who seemed to be frozen in place as he stared at Kagome hug Berek, and Berek waved a monstrous paw as he made a sound similar to that of a yeti.

"Lift me up Berek!" Kagome yelled up to her friend.

Lowering a paw, he allowed Kagome time to step onto it, before he lifted her up and held her to his face.

"Thanks for everything." She told him as she closed her eyes, leant over, and gave him a small kiss, but as she opened her eyes, she found herself kissing Berek, the way he looked when she first met him, with his arms around her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ms. Kagome. I sort slipped," he said nervously jumping away from her with a beet red face.

"It's alright, now I guess you'll be on your way now."

"Umm...yes...I...I must be going now. It was nice meeting all of you." Turing to face the woods, Berek let out a long, loud whistle, and within seconds, Koneko came running out of the forest to meet him. Jumping onto the giant spiders back, Berek gave off one final good-bye and he and Koneko took off into the forest.

Smiling at his retreating back, Kagome's face turned serious as she faced her friends.

"I have something important to tell you." She said seriously.

"What about?" Sango asked with a serious, yet curious tone.

"About what's happening to me and why?" she told them as she looked down at her elongated claws, and felt the sharper, larger fangs within her mouth, either not having shrunk much since her fight with Naraku.

"Hey, where'd that big demon go?" Inuyasha asked as he came out of his daze, not trying to look at Kagome, but as he saw their faces, he stopped his futile search.

"What happened?" Miroku asked as he too came out of his daze.

Sango looked at them curiously before she got it. "Kagome," she called.

Looking up, Kagome barely noticed how Inuyasha and Miroku both went into their dazes again.

"The eyes."

"Huh...oh," after looking at the males of their group she too caught on. Taking the obi off her robes, she said the spell Kaede taught and tied it around her eyes again.

"Hey, how come I didn't get froze too?" Shippo asked.

"Because you're too young." Sango answered automatically.

"So what about that boy, Berek."

"Because he was too shy too look me in the eye." Kagome answered this time with a smile. But remembered when he had gotten older that he had looked her in the eye and hadn't froze, but then she thought, they had been playing in the rain when he was older, so her hair covered her eyes then.

"Well that's not fair!" Shippo yelled as he stomped his foot.

"Maybe if I stare at you long enough you'll freeze." Kagome told him with a knowing smile as she began to lift the obi.

"No that's okay, shouldn't we make camp and wait for Inuyasha and Miroku to wake up." Shippo said quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Sango laughed catching Kagome's eye.

"Now, what are we going to do with these too?" she asked looking at the two frozen boys.

"We can always drag them and laugh when they're heads hit roots and rocks, for all the time they've groped, insulted, and worked us too much." Kagome suggested.

Sango just stared at her. "Okay. Work's for me."

"Yeah me too."

_'They're evil._' Shippo and Kirara both thought at the same time as Sango and Kagome got similar evil looks upon their faces.

* * *

That night after the guys had woken, and Kagome filled everyone in on what Naraku had said, Inuyasha suddenly perked up his ears and sniffed the air. His eyes widened a bit before a serene look passed over his face. Looking around at his group, he gave a quick excuse and then bounded off into the forest. That had been a few hours ago, everyone had eaten and either sleep or staring into the fire. Kagome doing the latter. 

She knew where he had went and what he was doing, but she didn't care, or at least that's what she told herself. Sighing she poked the fire with a stick and stared intently into as thoughts and questions rolled around in her mind.

Shippo and Kirara were fast asleep, Miroku in deep meditation, and Sango sat up pretending to sleep but in actuality was staring at Kagome, wishing she could ease her friend's heartache. Finally giving up the charade, she got up and sat next to Kagome.

"Kagome you should go to sleep, there's no use staying up worrying about Inuyasha. He's dumb and thickheaded, you deserve better."

"That's nice and all Sango, but I actually wasn't thinking about Inuyasha."

"Oh, really, then who were you thinking about then?" Sango asked, not buying it.

"I was really thinking about Miroku." She said with a smile.

"..._what_?" Sango asked as deep frown made its way onto her face.

"Miroku. Look at him. I was wondering how he looks with his hair down, since it's always in that ponytail."

"Oh...right...his _hair_...not...yeah okay." Sango mumbled with a red face, clearly embarrassed, but they were sitting so close to the fire that their faces were red anyway, so Kagome didn't notice.

"You know, there's only one way to find out." Kagome said as she stood up.

"Kagome, what are you doing?"

But Kagome had already pounced by the time she asked.

"Oh, what the..." Miroku yelled as he went down.

Sango could only stare with wide eyes as the two wrestled or rather how Kagome wrestled and Miroku yelled and tried to get away. Finally, she had him pinned on his stomach as she undid his hair, deaf to his constant protest.

"There!" she yelled in victory as she wrapped an arm around Miroku's front and lifted him up just high enough for Sango to see.

Looking at Miroku, Sango had to cock her head to the side as she observed him. His hair framed his face well and barely brushed the top of his shoulders, and the way he was frowning, she couldn't help but shrug her eyebrows. "He looks okay."

"Okay? Sango look at this face it's adorable. He's so KAWII!" she squealed as she practically glomped the side of Miroku's face. And the two toppled to the ground, although Miroku was now started to enjoy the physical contact.

Sango laughed at her friends' antic, but inside she knew that Kagome had only brought this up to forget about Inuyasha, and she had to wonder, was Naraku watching them...watching Kagome.

* * *

**Jaguargirl:** Hello everybody! This is Jaguargirl. Have you missed me! I know I have. Anyway, here's chapter 4 of Lost But Never Forgotten. It's been a while since I've updated this but I was stuck at a dead end with this. 

**Jaguargirl:** By the way, did you know that I'm a co-author to the Fic 'The Gift of the Curse', written with 'Trapped in Icy Flame'. It's a Inu/LoTr crossover.

_This Advertisement was brought to you by BUBU Products; "when you're feeling lonley, happy, sad, or mad, grab a Bubu."_

**Jaguargirl:** Hi again, well it's the end and I would just like to say R&R, because I'm a review addict and I need a fix. By the way, this is a recording, and if you had any attmept at hurting the author for not updating...TOUGH LOVE! PEACE OUT AND REVIEW! Thank You.


	5. Chp 5 Neom

**Chp. 5 Neom

* * *

**

Inuyasha didn't show up for the rest of that night or the following morning. Leaving the group extra time to themselves. Getting up at their own leisure, Sango and Kagome sneaked off to the nearest watering hole to freshen up. Kagome took this time to change out of the strange kimono and adorned the green miko robes Kaede had given her. Returning to camp, they found that Inuyasha had still not returned and Miroku and Shippo had awoken.

"I'll start breakfast, Kagome" Sango offered seeing how Kagome's posture had grown tense.

"Okay Sango...I was...I was just thinking about..."

"Inuyasha?" Sango stated more than asked.

"_No_. I was thinking more about Naraku. He said there's more than one way to turn me full and he'd be back. I was just wondering about what he's planning."

"Don't worry Kagome. We'll protect you." Sango smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks Sango. Now I have to talk to Miroku about something." Going over to where Miroku and Shippo sat, she kneeled down in front of the monk and smiled down at Shippo. "Why don't you go and help Sango prepare breakfast Shippo?" she asked putting as much sugar in her voice as she could.

"Okay." He said cheerfully before bounding off to the less than appreciative Sango.

"Now what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked pleasantly.

"I've thought about your offer, and I'd like to accept if it's still on the table."

"Which offer do you speak of, for if it's about bearing my..."

"The one from last night you perv." Kagome growled giving him the stink eye.

"Oh, yes, of course. Well to do this Lady Kagome, we need plenty of water. Do you know of any close by?" he asked, now becoming serious.

"Yeah, Sango andI just left it. Come on follow me." Hopping to her feet with a large smile on her face, she grabbed Miroku's arm and hoisted him up.

"Where are you two going?" Sango asked from over the cooking pot.

"Miroku needs water for that thing we talked about last night."

"Oh. Well I wish you good luck with that."

"Thanks. We'll be back soon. Oh and Sango, if a certain hanyou drops by and asks about me...feel free to mislead, use, and abuse to your hearts content."

"Thanks." Sango said with a large smile before her two friends disappeared into the woods. She knew what they were going to do, Miroku was going to see if he could repress the demon blood in her, and possibly reverse and slow down the demonification. She could only pray and hope that it would work.

A while went by and neither Kagome and Miroku nor Inuyasha had returned. She, Shippo, and Kirara were just finishing up breakfast when a red and white blur suddenly darted up into a tree.

"Good afternoon Inuyasha, I'm sure you had a nice morning." Sango said sarcastically as she slowly ate the last of her food.

Not missing the sarcasm in her voice, Inuyasha glared down at her. "Oi, wench where's Kagome?"

Catching Shippo's eye, Sango winked at him. "Oh Kagome, well she's, umm...Oh I promised them I wouldn't tell." she lied.

"Them? Who the hell is _them_?" Inuyasha yelled jumping from the tree and landing in front of Sango.

Feigning nervousness Sango bit her lip and diverted her eyes. "Well Kagome said she was feeling antsy last night when you didn't return. And by antsy I mean something I can't say around Shippo if you catch my drift. And well anyway, this morning she said it had gotten worse, and you still wasn't here, and she got desperate and then Miroku offered to help...and well I said she was desperate and they, um, went off into the woods." At the end of her tale, Sango had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

Deciding to help, Shippo added in a bit of kitsune spice. "Sango? Do you think Miroku will make a good papa? He's a lot nicer than Inuyasha, and with his ways I'll have lots and brothers and sisters to play with."

Covering her laughter with a coughing fit, Sango answered best she could. A few seconds a silence went by without a sound from anyone. "Is he gone?"

"Yeah, he left a while ago?" Shippo answered as they caught each other's eye and began to laugh uncontrollably.

By the time, Kagome and Miroku arrived back to camp Shippo and Sango were only in fits of spontaneous giggles, with Kirara looking at them like they were crazy.

"What did we miss?" Miroku asked with a smile.

"We sent Inuyasha out into the woods thinking you two were having an affair." Sango managed to say before they started laughing again.

"Oh we saw him. We tied some strips of our clothes to a rabbit and sent it off running. He'll be gone for hours." Kagome said expressionless.

* * *

A few miles away.

"HOW DID THEY GET INTO THIS RABBIT HOLE?" Inuyasha yelled as he stuck his nose into the hole as he smelled their scents, the scent of 'the act of reproducing', and oddly enough...rabbits.

"Kagome! What are you doing in there with Miroku? DON'T THINK I DON'T SMELL IT!"

* * *

"I didn't think it would work. I mean you and Miroku." At this Sango began to laugh harder but abruptly stopped after something that would haunt her dreams happened.

"I don't know Sango, Miroku _is_ a sexy beast." Kagome said with a mischevious growl. Grabbing onto a smiling Miroku's arm, she latched herself to it and pressed herself against him.

Watching with wide eyes, Sango grabbed Shippo and covered his eyes and ears.

"An affair doesn't sound _too_, absurd, does it...Miroku?" playing with his ponytail with one hand and running the other up and down his cheek, she leaned in close and whispered the last part huskily in his ear. Practically biting it off.

Not being able to answer, Miroku seemingly melted into a pile of blissful goo as he fell to the ground.

"Okay, done with that. Now it's time for a nap. And before you ask, the spell did work, see my ears, claws, and fangs have all gotten smaller. Now nighty night." Leaving everyone speechless Kagome pulled out her sleeping bag and fell asleep.

* * *

Kagome awoke to find everyone asleep. Smiling sneakily, she slid out of her sleeping bag and scurried over to Miroku's prone figure propped up against a tree.

"Hey. Miroku." She whispered trying to wake the sleeping monk.

Slowly his eyes opened and he stared at her curiously. "Lady Kagome. For what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Everyone's asleep." She said simply.

"Why yes I see that?" he said staring at his sleeping friends.

"And if someone or better yet, some _people_ wanted to sneak away and be alone, it'll be real easy now."

"Lady Kagome...are you implying that...you and me...that we...?"

"Oh come on, I know you're not that dense. You know what I'm talking about." Kagome growled becoming agitated.

"Lady Kagome, I could never betray our friends trust by..." by what was never found out as she silenced him with a quick, yet deep, kiss. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." He said as he stood up.

"Great, come one let's go." Kagome said gleefully as she grabbed his hand and began to lead him out of the clearing.

"But what about Inuyasha won't he smell us?" Miroku whispered worriedly as they passed the sleeping hanyou.

"Not if we do it in water." She suggested as she gave him yet another kiss, this one longer and deep and more passion filled.

"Oh Kagome." Miroku gushed as they broke the kiss for air. "You've made me the happiest monk around."

"Not as happy as I'm _going_ to make you. Now _come_ on." becoming annoyed yet again she tugged on his hand harder until they disappeared into the forest, leaving only Kagome's giggles behind as Miroku groped her.

And with a start, Sango shot up from her nap. Breathing heavily she met the curious eyes of Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo as she made a scene. It was still daytime and not much time had passed since Kagome had fallen asleep.

"Nightmare?" Shippo asked sympathetically.

"Yeah. It was real scary." Sango muttered as she got up, not trusting herself to fall back to sleep.

* * *

_Kagome found herself in a clearing deep within the woods. Above her, the moon shone brightly into the clearing. She heard a twig snap behind her. Spinning on her heel, she growled out a warning to whomever or whatever was there._

"_It's me Kagome." A strange yet familiar voice said from within the darkness of the trees. The voice was soft and odd sounding to her ears._

"_Who are you, show yourself!" she growled, her voice wavering as unknown anticipation overcame her._

_She could see something move, and that something was coming towards her. As they entered her clearing, she took an involuntary step back and almost collapsed as she recognized the figure. It was the boy from her dreams._

"_Kagome." He said smiling as he slowly raised his head, to reveal a pair of beautiful, pale green eyes, which faded into white as they neared the pupil._

_A sudden wave of emotions swept over her that had tears falling from her eyes non-stop. She knew him, knew him from long ago. But something had happened that tore the two apart. But now they were together again, together forever. Just her and..._

"_Neom!" she screamed as she threw herself into his waiting arms and cried onto his shoulder, glad to feel his comforting arms around her once again. "I thought you were dead. I didn't think I'll ever see you again."_

"_Kagome..." She almost was about to ask him who Kagome was when she remembered that she was Kagome. It sounded funny coming from him. "Kagome...I need your help. This is only a dream."_

"_A dream? Wait...you need my help? What's the matter? What do I need to do?"_

"_Find me." He said in a far off voice._

"_What do you mean?" she asked looking up at him._

"_I'm lost; I need you to find me. Find me Kagome." He said as he began to glide away from her._

"_Where do I look?" she asked as she began to go after him._

"_I'm trapped inside..."_

"_Trapped inside where?" she asked, now running._

"_...Find me..." his voice was barely a whisper now as he disappeared._

"_NO! Come back! Inside where? How do I find you?"_

* * *

Kagome awoke later that afternoon, not remembering any part of her dream. Well, that could've been due to the fact that on awakening she found herself face to face with an angry hanyou.

"Oh look, she's awake." Inuyasha said in a sarcastic voice with a big hint of anger.

"How long have you been there?" Kagome asked as she sat up.

"Long enough. What's the matter tired from your rendezvous with _Miroku_?" he asked, spitting the name out like venom.

"Were you hovering over me the whole time I was sleep?" she asked ignoring his first question.

"What's the matter? Your wimpy wolf boy's not enough for you? So you had to sink your claws into the monk."

"That's so creepy." She continued as if she didn't hear the ranting hanyou next to her.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?"

"No. Are you guys ready to move out now, I feel so refreshed after that workout we did this morning Miroku. I thank you again."

"Aha! So you did do it with the monk."

"It was my pleasure, Lady Kagome." Miroku said with a charming smile.

"I bet it was...you bastard."

"Need any help packing Kagome?" Sango asked as Shippo hopped onto Kagome's shoulder.

"Damnit! Stop ignoring me!"

"No I got it, but thank you anyway." Kagome replied with a smile as she stuffed her bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

"Stupid humans and wannabe demons. I hate you all."

"Inuyasha! Sit boy!"

"Oomph! Oh now you hear me." He muttered with a face full of hard ground. By the time the spell wore off, Inuyasha found he was alone in the campsite. "Hey where you going?" he yelled before bounding off after them.

* * *

Kagome hummed softly to herself as they walked along the path. She felt so entirely happy today. The sun was shining brightly, birds were chirping merrily, and they hadn't been attacks by anything for the past 4 hours. Her good mood was infectious, for everyone was smiling for no apparent reason, all except a certain hanyou. Kagome paid no heed to his bad mood though, for her positive attitude had driven away all thoughts of Naraku's stalking, confusing dreams, and the fact that all this was Naraku's doing for some sick reason. She was just happy being here with her friends.

Sighing contently, she sidled up to Inuyasha and cradled his arm as she lent her head against his shoulder, ignoring the way he stiffened as she did so.

Inuyasha's body went rigid as Kagome snuggled up to him, feeling his heart lighten up and his face grow hot, Inuyasha relaxed against her touch and let her be. That is, until he heard the soft tittering from behind them

"What makes you think you can touch me after what you and the monk pulled this morning?" he asked huffily snatching his arm away and walking ahead, not once looking at her as he did so.

Kagome stood frozen on the spot, her teary eyes staring after him filled with hurt. "You're pulling on my strings Inuyasha." She muttered, holding her head down and putting a fist on her heart.

While Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara stared angrily at the brooding hanyou, Sango reached out a sympathetic hand for the miko, but before she could put a comforting hand on the said girl's shoulder, Kagome's head snapped up with an angry expression on her face.

"If that's the way you want to be, then fine." marching angrily up to the hanyou, she bumped hard into his shoulder with a fierce canine growl as she surpassed him.

He stared after her in open mouthed surprise at her. _'What did I do now?_'

* * *

Kagome stayed angry at the hanyou for the remainder of the afternoon and well into early evening as they settled for a rest. Inuyasha was not as stupid as to get in her way, and if he did wander too closely towards her vicinity he would be warded off with a growl whether she was facing him or not.

But the real pain of the evening came when it was time for everyone to eat. Since it was Kagome who was cooking and dishing out the food, he had to wait until everyone got theirs and Kagome had walked away. Oh the horror of malnutrition.

She now sat against one of the scarce trees in the area with her head cocked towards the sky and a nonchalant smile upon her face as her ears twitched from here to there.

Curious, he was about to, rudely; ask what she was smiling about when Sango beat him to the punch.

"What are you smiling at Kagome?"

"I'm just listening to their singing."

"Who's singing Kagome?" Shippo asked as he became curious.

"Wolves; The wolves are singing."

"Why?" Shippo asked again. "Who are they singing to?"

"The moon I think." She replied with a frown as she listened more closely. "Yeah. They're singing to the new moon." She said with a smile as she pointed towards the moon.

"But we can't hear them." Sango said almost with a pout.

"How can you hear them Kagome? I'm full demon and I can barely hear them." Shippo inquired.

"I don't know. I just can, and by the sounds of it. I think its Kouga's tribe."

"How can you tell?"

"Because one sounds cocky." She laughed as they joined her.

"Stupid wolves." Inuyasha grumbled to himself then flinched as Kagome's growling reached his ears.

* * *

"Oh come on!" Inuyasha yelled angrily, kicking dust up as he did so. "We just started!"

"Well it couldn't be helped. No one knew the ledge was so unstable." Kagome said as she came to her friends' aid, although it was too late to save them from injury.

The gang had started early the next morning. Soon they found themselves at the feet of a huge chain of mountains, they seemed to stretch left and right forever, sprouts of trees growed here and there with no obvious patern. With a heavy sigh they began their climb. Halfway up, Sango's footing gave way under her and she began to fall, Miroku, being the closest jumped forward to her rescue but only ended up going down with her. So here they were again, amongst the scarce trees that grew along the side of the mountain with a Slayer with a broken ankle and sprained wrist and a monk with a head injury.

"Sorry Inuyasha, but we can't go on tonight, and tomorrow, TOMORROW," she said louder as he began to argue, "We'll just have to see."

"Fine! Don't come running to me when we run out of time and your full demon!" he snarled angrily as he stomped off to brood.

"Don't worry about him; he's just on his period." Kagome muttered loud enough so Sango could hear as she bandaged the slayer's foot and checked Miroku's head.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Lady Kagome." Miroku stated as he closed his eyes in contentment from her touch.

"Get your head chewed off by a strung up dog demon." She laughed. "But luckily, you have me here to subdue him."

"Yeah, that's right. Kagome will be with us forever and protect us from dog boy. Isn't that right Kagome?"

"That's right Shippo, I'll never leave." She said as she grabbed the fox demon from her shoulder and smothered him with kisses.

'_That's right.'_ Inuyasha thought with a little smile as he turned away from the touching scene.

* * *

"What's that smell?" Kagome said frustrated as she bounced around their campsite. "I know I've smelt it before and it's getting stronger."

The other's just watched her with caution, she had been doing this for the past 15 minutes and they weren't going to try to get in her way. Inuyasha and Shippo were of no help for the smells of the herbs on Miroku's head were overriding their noses and Kirara couldn't talk.

"Maybe I can see it from up here." Kagome said, talking to herself, as she climbed a tree. Gripping the trunk with her feet, she stared out over the area until she spotted what she had been looking for. The source of the scent she had smelled. The scent of a youkai and spices. It was Kouga and he was running fast, directly towards their location.

"That's commitment." Kagome muttered as she realized he had probably caught her scent and was coming to court her again. "Why can't you be more like him?" she whispered as she looked down towards her hanyou. Scowling, dark memories sprouted in her head of Inuyasha hurting her again. Finding herself growling aloud, she quickly hushed herself up. This confused her immensely. Usually his heartlessness and the sneaking off with Kikyo would turn her to tears, but lately, she'd just get angry and annoyed. And unlike either of those times she felt vengeful now and mischievous. "This might be fun." She said to herself as she hopped to another tree.

Soon Kouga arrived. "Kagome! Kagome? Hey mutt face, where's my woman?" he asked as he looked around for her.

"Like I'd tell you, you wimpy wolf!"

"Shut your hole, dog…" Kouga stopped his ranting mid-sentence as something caught his attention. Body becoming tense, he jumped out of the way just as Kagome's foot came crashing down in the spot he had just been standing.

Seeing she had missed, she came at him head on and rammed into his stomach with her shoulder. The impact sent him flying and she waited with a smile on her face for him to land, subconsciously rolling her hurt shoulder.

"What's the big idea Kagome?" he asked unhurt as he landed on his feet.

She said nothing but got in a ready position with a playful smile on her face, hoping he would get the message. After a second of confusion he smiled back.

"Oh, I get it." He said as his tail twitched in anticipation. Crouching low, he lunged at her swiftly. Seeing him coming she laughed and ran the other way as fast as she could, kicking up a dust trail as she went.

"What are they doing?" Shippo asked confusedly as they passed in a blur.

"That my dear Shippo is what we call foreplay. " Miroku answered with a smile.

"What?"

"They're flirting." Sango cleared up for the confused kit.

"Oh. So why didn't Miroku just say that then?"

"Because Miroku's a pervert. So don't ever grow up to be like him."

"Don't worry Sango, I won't. Besides it looks like it hurts to be a pervert."

Inuyasha in the meantime had turned red in the face and was growling and scowling. Miroku, being the closest, began to scoot away inconspicuously.

* * *

Kagome's heart filled with glee at the sheer speed and exhilaration she felt from running. It didn't matter that Kouga was only toying with her by running at her speed, but when he began to show out by running backwards she got annoyed.

Growling, she jumped, using Kouga's stomach for leverage, high into the trees. In the air she ran even faster from fear of falling. Going from tree to tree she laughed as she caught no sign of the wolf prince anywhere.

But she spoke too soon for said wolf suddenly appeared standing on a limb in her path. She had no time to change course before he had her in his arms and kissing her on the mouth.

"You know I could do this all day." Kouga said in his husky voice as he set her down seemingly not noticing how she wiped her mouth.

"So it's this type of game you want to play huh?" she stated more than asked as a mischievous look crossed her face.

"I thought you knew." He said tweaking her nose and receiving a yelp of surprise. Within seconds he was gone with Kagome lagging on his trail.

* * *

Their little game went on for a while and the others soon grew bored with just watching. They betted among themselves about which way they'd go, how soon would one get caught, how many times would they run by this spot, etc. It was something to do and it was amusing. Inuyasha on the other hand became dark and gloomy. He stayed off in the corner away from others, he snarled whenever one would come close and he flinched whenever he would here Kagome yelp in joy and cringed whenever he heard Kouga's triumphant laugh. Kagome had seen him do it and made no attempt to stop, infact she made them happen more often. She knew it was cruel, but he had made her feel much worse on too many occasions. She owed him this much pain. Although most was unintentional for she was actually enjoying herself. She was currently the one doing the chasing and Kouga had gotten away from her. So she crouched by a large tree waiting for him to happen by.

The others were now placing bets on what would happen next. They could see Kagome hiding by the tree and they could see Kouga's tornado heading towards her spot. Shippo bet that she would trip him; Sango bet that she would tackle him, and Miroku bet that she would jump in his path and scare him off course. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Before Kouga could completely pass her, Kagome launched herself from her hiding place and disappeared into the tornado.

"What are you doing? Get off that! Don't do that! AHH! Kagome!" Kouga's yells could be heard throughout the area as his tornado bucked and hopped here and there. Above all this the sound of Kagome's laughter was the loudest, and it sounded just plain scary.

"What is she doing to him?" Sango asked in wonder as she stared after the jumpy tornado.

"I do not know my dear Sango, but I can tell you now that I wouldn't wish it on myself."

"Got it!" Kagome yelled as she emerged with something brown bundled in her arms. Behind her the tornado didn't hesitate a second before running off.

"What's gotten into him?" Shippo asked staring after the retreating wolf prince.

"I stole his wrap and he doesn't want anyone to see his nakedness." Kagome answered as she collapsed into a heap on the ground. "Ow! My legs are dying! I'll never walk again."

"Did you have fun with your boyfriend?" Inuyasha huffed from where he was brooding.

"Matter of fact I deed." Kagome said blandly as she pushed herself up to look at him, her legs lying uselessly behind her. "It was refreshing having someone pay attention to me for a change. Not be growled, barked, ignored, and ordered around like someone I know."

"Feh, like I care. You could leave for all I give a good damn." He muttered turning his back on her.

"Good. I'll keep that in mind the next time a guy comes along to sweep me off my feet!" And not having the strength to turn herself around, she just flopped on the ground with a huff.

The others just looked from the hanyou to the wolf girl with a sigh. "This is going to be a long night." Shippo said, voicing what they all were thinking.

* * *

She woke with a start. Something was off. Looking around the camp, she saw everyone was asleep and they didn't seem disturbed by anything, but something was bothering. She couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, everything was quiet. Quiet. It was too quiet.

"Inuyasha?" she called out, her voice sounding amplified in the eerie silence.

"Kagome?" he called out waking with a start. "What is it?"

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? I don't hear anything?" he said calming down now that he realized there was nothing wrong.

"Exactly." She whispered as a chill ran down her spine.

The attack came from under them. With an explosion of light and dark powers demons upon demons came streaming from the newly formed crater in the middle of their camp.

"Why do you look so surprised dear Kagome? Didn't I say I would return for you?" it was Naraku, leading the pack and wrapped in his baboon pelt.

"Kagome! What the hell is he talking about?" Inuyasha yelled as he unsheathed tetsusaiga.

She opened her mouth to answer when Inuyasha killed a demon that was sneaking up behind her. "Tell me later!" he growled before bounding off to assist the injured Miroku and Sango.

She was immobile as the shock of what was going on hit her. Her ear twitched as she heard something coming from behind her. Out of reflex she spun around with her claws striking out for defense and sliced clean through the sneaking demon. There weren't any flashy lights like when Inuyasha did it, but it did the job.

"It's time to go." A sinister voice said above her before darkness overtook her. In her momentary distraction Naraku had fell upon her.

She found herself in utter darkness. The noise from the battle was deaf to her ears as she tried to escape the folds of the baboon cloak. She had fallen to her knees during the attack, and she could feel herself sinking through some unknown, thick substance that seemed to envelope every inch of her being as limbs groped her body. She couldn't tell if they were tentacles or hands, but she knew that whatever they were, they smelled strongly of miasma and musk. The sinking substance was now up to her chest and suffocating her. She called out for Inuyasha but she couldn't even hear her own voice in the silence. She was now chin deep and steady sinking. Soon her nose was under and the smell vanished, but that did nothing for her for now her head was completely under, the only part of her not yet to sink was an arm. In the darkness she could see nothing but a vaguely moving figure that slowly was drawing closer the more she sunk.

"My dear Kagome. I see you've returned." The figure said huskily as Naraku stepped into her view. She tried to scream, but he merely laughed before silencing her with a threatening, but gentle hand to her throat.

"You've changed so much." He said wistfully with sardonic amusement. "But you're no where near done if I have anything to do with it."

The satisfied smirk on Naraku's face suddenly vanished as a split suddenly formed across his form. "This isn't over." He said with rage as he fell apart and strong hands wrenched her from her hell.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, pulling her into the safety of his arms, where she hugged him with trembling arms. The battle was still going on. "Kagome," he said gently clumsily trying to console her trembling form, "You have to get out of here. Naraku he...Naraku's after you and I don't know why. So in order to protect you, I need to know you're safe and away from harm."

"But…" she began.

"No buts. Now get your stuff and go, before I make you." He said now back to his gruff self.

"But what about Shippo?" she asked as he pushed her bag into her arms.

"He's helping Miroku. Now quit worrying and get the hell out of here." He growled waiting for her to place the bag on her shoulder.

Shaking her head she turned to head down the path, when on sudden impulse she jumped into his arms for a final embrace. "I love you Inuyasha." She said giving him a quick kiss.

"Now what you do that for?" he asked in a loud, almost hysterical, voice as he blushed furiously.

"So you'll hurry up and come get me." She said with a shy smile as she turned to leave again when something white caught her eye further up the mountain. Turning to look she gasped aloud as she caught sight of a white haired boy, with a pale complexion and green eyes staring intently at her.

"Neom?" she whispered unsurely taking a step towards him.

"What?" Inuyasha asked from where he was fighting demons nearby.

"NEOM!" she yelled ignoring him as Neom took off running up the mountain. Behind him a white tail streamed behind him, likes a banner. _'He's wolf demon.'_ She thought shocked.

"No! Wait! Neom! Come back, Neom! Neom!" she screamed as she took off in hot pursuit of the strange, familiar boy.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he made to go after her, only to find his way blocked by a freshly new arrived batch of demons. The others found their ways similar blacked.

"Something's not right Inuyasha." Miroku yelled over the noise of battle as he saw how the demons merely moved from Kagome's path.

"Don't you think I know that!" he snarled back angrily as he frantically, and unsuccessfully, tried to make his way to Kagome.

Kagome on the other hand didn't notice anything else but the retreating form of the boy as they ran further and further up the mountain path. She called his name over and over again, but he didn't so much as look back at her. She grew more and more desperate and no matter how fast she ran he always stayed ahead of her.

'_Why won't he stop? What's wrong with him? Where's he going?'_ were the thoughts that ran through her mind as she chased the wolf boy. Said boy eventually went over a prominence at the top and out of view. With sudden desperation she ran faster and harder until she practically flew over the hill.

She stopped to catch her breath as she saw with relief that they had reached the top. The top itself was a fairly flat place with a peak too small to climb. This is where she found Neom. He stood resting his back against the peak with his head held down and a small smile on his face.

"I was surprised you followed. I didn't think you'd come, what with your mate telling you to leave and all."

"Mate? Oh you mean Inuyasha. No, he's not my mate. Just…potential." She found herself saying, as she had the sudden impulse to hug and reconcile him. But as she began to step towards him he looked up at her with a smile that made his handsome face ugly with evil.

"You are very gullible my dear Kagome." Neom said with Naraku's voice as his eyes began to bleed red and his hair grew dark and longer. "Following a strange demon towards danger on an impulse of slight familiarity."

She found herself about to cry but anger and fear quickly overtook that feeling. "Why'd you do it? What do you want from me?" she yelled at the proverbial image of Naraku.

"I want nothing _from_ you at the moment my dear." Naraku said as he grabbed her around the neck and hoisted her into the air. "What I need for you to do is stay away from those friends of yours."

"What?" she managed to choke out as she futilely tried to wrench his hand from her throat.

"You heard me girl. With them your transformation will never complete."

"I…"

"Can't? Won't?" he finished for her. "You will if you want them to live."

"Wha…"

"I place a curse on you my dear. Get anywhere near them and they shall perish. Speak to them and their world shall end. Let them know anything and all is over." As he said these words a squeezing sensation overcame her and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his eyes. She was in a trance and there was nothing she could do about it.

Soon the grip on her throat lessened and so did the squeezing sensation. "Go to them if you like girl. Their deaths shall be on your hands." Naraku said with an emotionless bland expression.

Rubbing her neck, she stood up and watched Naraku with a wary eye. She slowly began to back away from him, but he made no room to stop her. She backed away until she came to the hill she had crossed earlier. Still he made no move towards her. With one last glance at him she took off at a run. She was getting closer and closer towards the battle scene for the sounds of a fight were getting louder. But as she neared she began to believe Naraku's curse. Stopping completely she contemplated whether to venture on or not.

"That's right, get closer. You'll be doing me a favor."

Spinning on her heel she caught sight of Naraku just before he disappeared into nothingness. He was teasing her. Putting a determined expression on her face she turned towards her friends once again and walked confidently towards them. But as she moved a few feet closer, Naraku's laughter reached her ears and the sounds of pain filled screams reached her ears. She whimpered.

"Fine. FINE! I'll leave!" she screamed into the night as tears streamed down her face. Wiping them away, she headed up the mountain once again.

"Good choice." She heard the bodiless Naraku say as she reached the summit once again.

Looking out over the land, she could see that the demons were diminishing and her friends were winning.

"They will be safe as long as you stay away." Naraku said as he materialized by her side. She was too distraught to care as she let the tears fall freely.

"But what if they find me. They'll just follow my scent wherever I go."

"Do not fret my dear. The more demons they kill down there the more miasmas will be released and _it'll_ destroy your scent for miles to come." Now he turned to look at her. "I will give you this and nothing more. From now on my biggest desire is to transform you fully. I will not be so kind during our next meeting."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked in a heavy voice as she turned to look at him.

"Merely for my amusement, my dear." He said with a wicked smile before his body dissolved into a thick, dark fog that covered her from view. "Now go." His voice whispered in her ear.

"Trying to hide her disgust at having his fog like body touch her, she glanced once more down at the battle and gave them a silent goodbye. Squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high, she did not back once as she began to run the length of the mountain range. Running away from her friends and towards the unknown and a new adventure.


	6. Chp 6 Kira

**

* * *

**

Chp. 6 Kira

* * *

"That's the last one!" Inuyasha shouted victoriously as he killed the last of the demons. Looking around at his companions he couldn't help but realize how sorry they looked now. Sango leaned pathetically against Kirara, her ankle swollen and with a highly noticeable throbbing, Miroku was sitting on the ground with a nauseous look on his slightly green face as his head wound made him dizzy, and Shippo pranced around proudly now that he actually fought in a battle. And to make matters worse, Kagome was missing and a fog had begun to swarm in. 

"Inuyasha!" Shippo yelled loudly as he bounced onto his shoulder. "Come on, Inuyasha, and go get Kagome! I want to tell her how good a job I did helping Miroku."

"Feh, you don't tell me what to do. I'll get her when I feel like it." Inuyasha lied as he bopped the little fox on the head. The truth of the matter was that he wasn't sure where his Kagome had gone and the smell of miasma was so strong that he wasn't sure if he could follow her scent, let alone _find_ it.

"No I think he's right. It's about time to get Kagome." Sango managed to say as she took deep, quavering breaths.

"Fine." He growled out, seemingly annoyed, although he caught the knowing look Miroku sent him.

'_Where are you, you stupid girl?_' he thought worriedly as he bounded off in the direction he last saw her. "I'll tear up this whole damn mountain to find you." He said aloud as he searched and listened for any sign of her.

His searched for her turned into a frantic running to and fro up and down the mountain, and his heart dropped when he found her discarded bag half hidden in leaves. "Kagome?" he yelled as he grabbed her bag and sniffed it, trying to find her scent, but the miasma was just too thick and had stolen it.

"Inuyasha." A soft voice said from further up the mountain.

It was pure music to his ears, looking up his heart swelled to see her smiling at him and unhurt. "Where the hell were you?"

"Good to see you too." She muttered as annoyance overtook her happy face. "Did you ever try looking at the peak of the mountain for me?"

His face faulted, the thought had never crossed his mind to look up there. "Yeah, well…I didn't think your weak body could make it all the way up there. So I didn't bother." Huffing to himself, he began to make his way towards her, when a scent hit his nose that made him stop in his track.

"Naraku!" he growled pulling out tetsusaiga.

"Naraku? Where?" she asked as her fear hit him just as clearly as Naraku's scent.

"I don't know, but I want you to go to the others."

"But," she began worriedly only to scream loudly as she felt strong arms encircle her body and lift her into the air. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, reaching for his slowly retreating figure.

"Kagome!" he yelled making a leap for her only to miss by mere inches as she rose out of his reach.

"What's the matter Inuyasha? Can't keep track of your women?" Naraku taunted, his voice reaching his ears despite Kagome's screams of terror.

"Naraku you bastard! Get your filthy hands off her!" Inuyasha yelled with rage as he began to follow them from the ground, jumping up at them every so often in vain.

"Inuyasha! Help me!" Kagome yelled as she tried to fight herself free, but Naraku had her in a vice grip of steel.

Kagome's pleas seemed to fuel him for he ran with a new vigor. Running faster and jumping higher, but they were still always only mere inches from his grasp. Up ahead he saw his chance; a fallen tree lying upon a cluster of boulders. The perfect leverage and the only chance he had at rescuing his Kagome. He put on an extra burst of speed and made sure not to trip or run into anything that could slow him down. He was on the tip of the tree. Bracing his legs he jumped with all his might and saw with satisfaction that this time he would make it. This time he would have her. This time she couldn't get out of his hands. Then Kagura was there, smirking scornfully at his attempts at a rescue.

"Dance of Wind Blades." She said sardonically as she sent her attack his way.

The attack hit him dead on just as he was about to grab for Kagome, their fingertips met for a mere mocking second before the attack slapped him down into the ground like a hand swatting away an annoying fly.

"INUYASHA!"

The yell was getting fainter in his ears as he struggled to get up, but by that time, they were gone and out of sight. "Kagome! KAGOME!" he yelled as he stood to run in the direction he last saw them, but his injuries prevented him from doing more than jog fastly.

"Inuyasha. Please, _please_ do not tell me that just happened." Sango said in a quiet, weak voice when he stumbled back to the rest.

"It didn't just happen." He growled not looking in her direction as she fell into a heap.

"Where's Shippo?" he snarled at Miroku noticing the pup wasn't around.

Miroku said nothing but pointed down the mountain where a path of fire and broken and torn shrubs lay. "We saw everything." The monk finally said. "He couldn't take it and he lost control. Kirara went after him."

Just then, said demon emerged from the underbrush with a snarling red fox with beige feet and ears in her mouth. With a sad mew she dropped her load onto the ground where it abruptly changed into the shape of Shippo, only slight altered. This Shippo's eyes were red and demonic, his claws and fangs were sharp and protruding, and he was out of his right mind.

Pitying the poor pup, Inuyasha walked forward and delivered a hard blow to the head, rendering Shippo unconscious. Not looking at his comrades, Inuyasha held his head down and growled. "I'm going to find her. I won't allow that bastard to hurt her. And when I find her, I'm going to kill Naraku. You four go back to Kaede's, I bring her back."

"If you think I'm going to let you try to rescue Kagome by yourself, you must be crazy. I'm going too." Sango said as she forced herself up onto uneasy legs.

"And if you think I'm going to let you two go off and get yourself killed, then you are sadly mistaken. Someone has to take care of you." Miroku said as he shakily walked towards his companions.

"Feh, suit yourself." Inuyasha said as he turned his back on them and whispering under his breath a small thanks.

* * *

"Was all that really necessary?" Kagura asked as they finally arrived at the castle. 

"It was completely necessary." Kagome answered in a monotone voice, her face holding a twisted smile as she dislodged herself from the puppet's arms.

"I don't mean to be so inquisitive, but why? She already had a head start, the miasma got rid of her scent, the fog covered her, and she could have gone any which way on the huge mountain. So why this extra input? They would have never found her."

Kagome merely looked at her darkly as her disguise fell away and left Naraku in its place. "She could not have just vanished. This way, I've given them something to chase. Now leave me, the sight of you sickens me. Send in Kanna." Turning his back to her Naraku smiled with anticipation. They were now separated and she was by herself. Now her transformation could finally complete.

"You summoned me." Kanna stated rather than asked as her ghostly, white figure emerged from the darkness.

"Show me the girl." He said facing her. "Now my love, it's time to return to me." Naraku said soothingly as he ran his claw along the jaw line of a sleeping Kagome. His love.

* * *

Kagome had run far and hard. She ran until her legs went numb and the effort to breathe became hard to do. Even with all this she couldn't stop. She needed to get far away. Needed to get away from her friends, away from Naraku, and away from it all. Running for miles she finally crossed to the other side of the mountain range and looked for a suitable place to rest. Somewhere so she could be alone. Like a small cave she found at the base of the mountain hidden by trees and smelling musty with mold. The perfect place to cry her heart out. 

She awoke early that morning as stiff as a board and filthy from lying on the ground all night. There were a few tears still on her face from crying in her sleep. She hastily wiped them away, she was done with crying and doubted she'd be doing it for some time. As she walked from the cave she shielded her eyes from the sudden light, waiting till they adjusted before surveying her surroundings. But as she did so she noticed that she didn't have the sash around her eyes. Looking around she found it on the ground where she had slept. Picking it up she started to put it back on when a thought occurred to her. Out alone in the wilderness with no weapons she was vulnerable to attack. Without the sash she could enchant any demons long enough to escape. Smiling she turned to place the sash in her bag, but discovered it was nowhere to be found.

"Oh that's just great. I must've dropped it back there." She grumbled as she realized that she had no food, medical supplies, extra clothes, or bathing products. "I'm going to stink." She cried aloud to herself in despair.

"Fine. If I'm going to be by myself for…a while. I need to be prepared." She said as she regained her composure. "That means shelter, food, water, weapons, and medicine." Shaking her head in agreement with herself, she smiled grimly.

"First things first…," she thought. "…a bath."

The nearest hot spring was about 3 ½ miles from her camp and not very big, although it _was_ big enough for a petite girl like her to relax and wash comfortably. She had crossed small creeks not big enough for nothing no bigger than a raccoon to clean itself with. As she finished her bath, she washed the robes Kaede had given her and crouched next to the spring in nothing but her underwear as she washed the robes. She was subconscious about being out in nothing but her underwear but she was more subconscious about being dirty.

A buzzing sound reached her ears. Not moving she turned her head towards the sound and saw to her disdain one of Naraku's insects. Growling low she grabbed a stone nearby and threw it with all her might towards the evil bug. It hit dead on and it fell dead on impact.

Standing up defiantly she grabbed her wet clothes and placed them back onto her person. She couldn't stay here; Naraku was too close for comfort. She had no possessions so she left right then. She would find the essentials she needed as she moved. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew it was far enough so that Naraku would have a difficult time finding her.

As she walked she used the sash for her eyes to hold any herbs she could recognize. She was constantly checking for tree limbs and vines so she could have an efficient weapon. And her ears were on alert for any predators or the tell-tale buzzing of Naraku's spies.

She seemed to walk for hours and hours through a never ending forest. She was hot, tired, hungry, and her bare feet were aching. Her hunger was the worst of them all. She tried abating it by eating the many berries, nuts, and mushrooms that she could identify. But the hunger never left or even eased up. She had even fallen upon a series of blackberry bushes, but she was halfway through the whole batch when she became sick of them. Her hunger was still there and worse than ever.

"Why am I so hungry?" she wondered aloud as she held her aching stomach. As she collapsed to the ground as a particular painful hunger pain hit her, the sound of trickling water reached her ears.

"Fish." She breathed out as she growled along with her stomach. Climbing to her feet, she hastily grabbed her sash and her makeshift bow and ran off into the general direction she heard the water coming from. Soon her trickling water turned into a steady rush as she reached the bank of the river. Dropping her things a few feet from the water, she rolled her pants legs up along with her sleeve before stepping off into cold water. She could see the fish swimming about her clear as day. But when she would reach down to grab one, they suddenly weren't there. This happened seven times, and on the eighth she kicked at the fish out of frustration. She didn't expect anything to happen except for a big splash and for the fish to scatter. But the next thing she knew and saw was a large fish come flying out of the water and land on dry land by her things.

She looked at the gaping fish with astonishment. "Well, okay." She said with a smile as she trudged from the water and came to sit next to her dieing dinner.

"Now what?" she asked herself realizing she had no fire, no knife, or seasoning which she usually had when cooking from the land. "You're pathetic. You can't do anything right. Why didn't you think this through." She could hear Inuyasha as plain as if he was standing next to her, criticizing everything she did. She was going to miss him like crazy.

Lighting a fire she cooked her small meal and ate in silence, missing the chatter and noise of her companions already as she felt tears begin to spring up in her eyes. But before they could fall she hardened up and glared into the fire at the sudden intruder.

"You know the fish would have tasted just as fine if you would have eaten it raw?" Naraku said casually as he lounged on the opposite side of the fire.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked coldly, idly noticing she was more annoyed than frightened. Naraku noticed this too and smiled.

"Only for the pleasure of your company."

"Oh isn't that sweet? I think I'm going to be sick."

At this Naraku laughed at her. "I've brought you a present."

"I don't want it." She said as she turned away from him.

"But you don't know what it is yet."

"Don't care. I don't want anything that you have to offer."

"Now with this you have no say." Naraku growled as his casual attitude turned cold. "You see I need you to complete your transformation and I am not a patient demon."

"Why can't you get this through your thick head? I don't want to be a demon! I'm human, I've always been human, and I will always be…"

"Now that's were you're wrong." Naraku said offhandedly as if talking to a small child.

Angry that he wasn't taking her seriously, she kicked the fire embers into his face. Hearing his howl of pain she took off into the surroundings woods.

* * *

She was surprised that Naraku hadn't attacked her, but she didn't dwell on it long enough to stop running. Only when she noticed that she had not only left behind her sash and herbs, but that she had left her makeshift bow along with it. 

"OH! This cannot be happening!" she yelled into the night angrily as she kicked a nearby tree. Splintering it on impact and inflicting no pain on her whatsoever. "This is ridiculous! I can't keep doing this!" she said despondently as she crouched into a feeble position on the ground.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed by before she came out of her stupor. She was sure she had fallen asleep for she was a bit more energized and the sky was darker with more stars. Her ears twitched as a scream resounded through the forest. The noise which had aroused her in the first place. She jumped to her feet without hesitation as she recognized the scream to belong to a child. The scream sounded out again, this time closer, and she was off and heading in the general direction it sounded like it came from. It didn't occur to her that she had no weapons, she didn't necessarily know how to fight, or that she hadn't a clue as to what type of problem she was running to. She only knew that a child needed protection.

Running at a speed she had only recently reached with Kouga, Kagome ran with a fueled anger until she arrived on the scene. She stopped on a newly form path with uprooted trees and overturned boulders everywhere. She couldn't hear anything except the labored breathing of the child as she ran from underneath the canopy of a batch of undisturbed trees. The little girl didn't seem to notice her standing in her way as she ran closer. Kagome just watched as the little girl ran and fell, but once the demon burst from the trees she took action.

Suddenly angry she ran at the demon as a vicious growl escaped her lips. Leaping over the child she launched herself into the air at the unfathomable demon. It was one of those demons that had no specific genre except the regular demon powers like healing, strength, and speed. Not exactly knowing what she was doing she punched the demon with all her might on the top of its head. Time seemed to stand still as her fist met the demons gray, knobby skin. During the time freeze she noticed that the child lay just behind her curled in a feeble position and that the demon was exceptionally large and ugly.

'_What am I doing here? I shouldn't be fighting demons. That's Inuyasha's department. But this…this is fun._' she thought to herself before time sped back up, and her fist glowed green with power as the demon disintegrated on impact.

She landed gracefully on her feet with a feeling of satisfaction flowing through her very being. "If everything keeps going like this I won't need to worry about surviving." Kagome said aloud to herself as she flexed her claws. She brought back from her musings by a soft crying coming from the little girl. Kagome's eyes softened as she looked at the pitiable creature crying on the ground. She had forgotten all about the child.

Going to where the girl lay, Kagome gently laid a comforting hand on the girl's back.

"Ahh!" the little girl screamed as she sprung to her feet. "Leave Rin alone!"

Grabbing Rin's arm, Kagome calmly waited until the child realized that she wasn't going to hurt her. She had been kidnapped plenty of times and knew exactly what to do so the girl wouldn't panic. Well, panic anymore than what she was doing now.

"Relax." Kagome told her softly although firmly.

Rin stopped struggling instantly and only watched Kagome tensely through tear stricken eyes filled with fear. The sight hurt Kagome's heart. She wasn't used to been looked at with such fear.

"Listen. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you."

"You don't want to eat Rin?" Rin asked timidly as she sniffed and wiped her nose.

"No. Little girls are too sweet to eat? They'll rot my teeth." Kagome told her, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but by the way Rin stiffened up again she knew her humor fell flat. "Where's your village Rin? I'll take you back to your parents."

"Rin doesn't live in a village. Rin lives in the castle."

"Castle? Are you a princess Rin?" Kagome asked with a large smile as every little girl's dream popped into her head.

"No. Master Jaken tells Rin she is no princess, but Lord Sesshomaru say's Rin must act like one when we have guests." At saying her adopted father's name, Rin suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Eh?" Kagome blurted out in dumbfounded confusion. "You…you live with Sesshomaru!"

"Oh yes. Lord Sesshomaru saved Rin, now Rin lives with Lord Sesshomaru." By now Rin was practically bouncing on her heels as she talked of her hero.

"Do you…do you _like_ living with him?" she just had to know. She couldn't picture a happy, _human_, bubbly child living with the stoic, ice-prince.

"Oh yes very much. Lord Sesshomaru takes very good care of Rin and sends Master Jaken to play with her very often. Master Jaken is very loud."

"Where is Sessh-Lord Sesshomaru now? Is he close by?" she didn't feel much like running into him at the moment, not after the circumstances of their last departing.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_The poison ate away at her bandages as quick as...something quick._

_Sesshomaru watched as the cloth fell away from her glowing eyes. She raised her head up, and glared devilishly into his eyes. He saw that her eyes were...and then he knew no more._

_Kagome watched as Sesshomaru's body flashed violet, and then go rigid. His eyes stared blankly at her, unmoving, only hearing, and seeing. He just stood unmoving, hands down by his side._

_Kagome smirked. Running as fast as she could, she jumped up and landed a kick straight into his chest. Sending his stiff body to the ground._

_Kagome's eyes stopped glowing as she strode over to him._

_She stood, smiling over him. She had placed one of her legs on either side of him. Squatting down she looked him in the eye._

_"I believe you owe me something," she said as she untied his yellow and purple sash. Waving it in his face, she stood up. Putting the necessary spell on the sash, she started to walk away, but a clawed hand shot and grabbed her ankle. Looking back, she smiled._

_"This isn't over bitch." Sesshomaru grunted out, trying to fight off the enchantment._

_Wrenching her foot out of his grasp, Kagome bent down to whisper in his ear. "The name is Kagome. K-A-G-O-M-E. Kagome. Hear it, learn it, eat it. Oh and before I forget. You're going to be very sleepy. You already are. In fact, you're going to go to sleep right...now." And with that said, Sesshomaru's unmoving eyes, fluttered shut._

**_ENDFLASHBACK_**

She shuttered to think what he would do if they were to ever meet up again.

"Rin does not know where Lord Sesshomaru is? Rin was out picking flowers with Master Jaken when…"

"STAND BACK RIN! I'LL PROTECT YOU!" a nasal voice yelled from above. Looking up, Kagome could see a green and brown blob coming towards her at a would-be fast speed. Standing up calmly she effortlessly swatted the thing down.

"Rin told you Master Jaken was loud." Rin said with a small smile.

"Oh honorable demoness! Please take pity on this lowly Jaken, for he did not know the extent of your power." Getting to his knees, Jaken buried his head in the dirt and groveled at Kagome's feet.

"He was only doing what his Lord and Master Sesshomaru commanded of him! To protect this pathetic human girl! Please do not hurt me!"

"Hush!" Kagome yelled over the noise. "You're hurting my ears."

Jaken stopped yelling and only quivered and shook in fear.

"_Great_ protector." Kagome said sarcastically, looking at Rin through half-lidded eyes. Rin merely laughed.

"Master Jaken. Rin was attacked by a demon and…OH. Rin is sorry, where are Rin's manner." Taking a clumsy curtsy, Rin smiled cutely at her. "My name is Rin." Rin announced with practiced droning.

Returning her curtsy Kagome smiled back. "My name is Kagome."

"Kagome?" Jaken finally said, all fear gone from his voice. "So you are the wench that my lord…" but he stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of Kagome's eyes. Her unshielded eyes. He became entranced instantly as a purple glow flashed through his body.

"Master Jaken?" Rin asked curiously as she poked his prone figure.

"He'll be fine." Kagome said off-handedly. "Now Rin. Jaken is going to take you back to the castle and I won't you to stay there until Sesshomaru returns okay."

"Okay." Rin said cheerfully.

"Is that understood Jaken? You are to take Rin straight home and make sure she's safe. Is that understood?"

"Yes Madam Kagome." Jaken said in a broken, robotic voice. "Is that all Madam?"

"N…" Kagome began then thought. She had no food, no weapons, and no supplies. "Matter-o-fact there are a few things."

* * *

She didn't think it was going to be that easy, but now that she thought back on it, she couldn't see any way it could have gone wrong. She had Jaken completely bewitched, Rin was only to happy to help, and Sesshomaru was no where around. At first she had felt guilty about what she was doing, but she reasoned with herself saying that they owed her for saving Rin. 

At first she had requested the essentials: a bow and arrows, a sack, food, and herbs; but she couldn't help but be a little greedy: extra clothing, sandals, socks, soap, flint, pots and pans. To say the least, she was now well prepared.

After retrieving her new things, and commanding Jaken to play whatever Rin wanted, she headed away from the western lands and in the general direction away from where she knew her friends to be. So it was all southern bound for her. Well, at least she thought that was the direction she was heading in. She also didn't know where she was going but she new that you couldn't get lost if you never had a destination. Laughing to herself she settled down for a break. She was in no hurry, she was on no decipherable path, and she was hungry.

Digging for the food Jaken had given her she came up with a wine flask and a large, flat piece of beef jerky. Well that's what she assumed it was. Sniffing it she shrugged and she deemed it safe as she caught the aroma of beef. Nibbling on the edge she taste-tested it. '_Not bad.'_ She thought as she took a bigger bite and ate in silence.

"Well isn't this nice." A voice suddenly said in her ear.

Screaming loudly she turned toward the voice and screamed even louder as she saw it was Naraku. Now that she knew who it was she screamed not out of fear but the satisfaction of seeing him flinch in pain. The noise would've hurt her ears too but since she was the one making the noise it wasn't so bad.

"Cease that racket!" Naraku growled putting a hand over her mouth. But instead of doing as he said she clamped her fangs down on his hand. Growling in pain he wrenched his hand from her mouth and slapped her across the face so hard she hit the ground. The slap stung and she was sure would be sore later, but she made no sign that she felt it and sat back up with as much dignity as she could muster. Naraku was favoring his bleeding hand as she righted herself. Grabbing her wine flask she took a swig and as Naraku turned towards her angrily she spit the contents in his face. But instead and growl or hit her again; he laughed.

She tensed at the sound. Oh how she hated that laugh.

"What's this!" he barked. "Not afraid of me anymore?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" she hissed softly. "I haven't been afraid of you since you cursed me."

"Is that so?" he asked as a grin spread out across his face.

"Yeah. Now if you excuse I have somewhere to be. Away from you." Not sparing him a glance she began to repack her bag.

"Why the hurry?" Naraku whispered as he wrapped his arms her shoulders.

"What do you want?" she asked, repulsed by his touch.

"I thought that was obvious by now." He said sultrily as he breathed in her scent. "What I want is you."

She stilled at his words. They seemed…familiar…as if someone had told them to her before. Was it Inuyasha? She wasn't sure, but for some reason those five little words filled her with anger. With her hand still in the sack she curled her fingers around the handle of a knife. She had asked for this knife so she could gut and skin things without the use of her claws, and it had to be extra sharp to be used as so.

"I have something for you." He said absently as he nuzzled her neck.

"Funny. I have something for you too." Gripping the knife tightly she wrenched her arm from the sack and swung at his face. He managed to move at the last moment and she only managed a cut across his eye.

"So there still is some spark left in the old bitch isn't there?" Naraku laughed as he touched his bleeding wound. "Always the eyes eh sweetheart?" he added calmly.

"WHAT?" She yelled, suddenly angry. Gripping her knife tighter she tore after him as he disappeared into the forest. "What are you talking about? Why are you doing this to me? What can you gain? Is it the Shikon? Is that what you want? Then just take it! Leave me alone!" she yelled this as she chased him, dodged tentacles that would spring out of the ground, absent-mindedly strike down lesser demons he would send at her, and slice through his cursed wasps. All the while getting stronger, faster, and angrier. This, Naraku, knew and he only laughed at her as her anger sped up the poison in her system.

She didn't know how long she ran, she couldn't remember how many lesser demons she had fought, nor did she realize how uncharacteristic Naraku was being by running from her. She didn't really think of anything now but the gradually darkening features of the land around her. _'What's going on?'_ she thought before the darkness consumed her, never hearing Naraku's yell of frustration.

* * *

_Kagome found herself running through the forest._

_She began to run faster, determined to get to her destination as waves of concerns and fury overwhelmed her._

_She knew what to expect this time as she burst into the hauntingly familiar clearing. Looking straight ahead she saw the tree, and at its root sat the figure. This time there was no darkness shrouding their features and she knew who they were._

"_Neom." She whispered as she took a step forward. As her foot hit the ground his head snapped up and her eyes locked onto his beautiful, pale green eyes. It was him, the real Neom. She knew it was him by his eyes, his familiar green eyes that held so much pain._

"_Neom! Wha-what happened? Who did this to you?" a panic stricken Kagome asked hysterically with tears streaming down her face as she gushed over his wounds and supported him up._

"_He...sneak attack…I…trapped in…memory." He choked out._

"_Who…Naraku?" she asked desperately as she removed her hand from his back only to find it covered in blood._

"_Yes." He said with new found strength as he gripped her arm tightly. "I…don't have much…time. You…you have to find…me…I'm…tr-trapped…within…so weak. You…trapped…find me." With the last of his strength his squeezed her arm reassuringly and went limp._

"_Neom." She called quietly as she shook him. He didn't respond. "Neom!" she called louder as she shook him harder. No respond. "No! Don't leave me again! I love you! You can't leave me! Neom! Neom!"

* * *

_

She came back to her senses with an earsplitting scream. She felt a pair of arms tighten around her as she thrashed about. She had a good idea of who it was so she continued to scream and thrash about wildly.

"Calm yourself girl or else you shall fall to your death." She heard him say in a patronizing voice as if she was a 5 year who was throwing a tantrum.

She ignored him and continued to fight. She smiled when her foot kicked him in his head resulting in a loud cracking noise. But her happiness was short lived as she felt his hand connect with her cheek and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She stopped her restraints then and there and just laid limply in his grasp.

"Glad you finally see things my way." Naraku sneered as he popped his head back into place. "That was a foolish thing you did girl. What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked her in that same patronizing voice.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"What?" he asked with surprise as he turned back to her.

"Thank you." She said again in a louder stronger voice as she held her head up to look at him. "You've seen to have broken something." She said with a brazen smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"You tell me." She said before closing her eyes to relish in the power she felt radiating through her body. Through her closed eyelids she could see the bright lights of her miko powers as they poured from her. She could hear Naraku's screams as he lost his grip on her. She could feel the air passing over her body as she fell from unknown heights. She was tired, oh so tired. She could barely lift her eyelids. Her miko powers finally died out, leaving her aching with a slight burning sensation all over her body. But she didn't even flinch or gasp. Even when she hit the cold river below.

Although she made no sign of it, the water was biting cold and she could already feel her body going numb from it and her lungs seemed frozen from the cold. All around her all she could hear was the roaring, rushing river as it swept her to who knows where. Because of the cold she barely felt the prodding of the many rocks and pebbles as she bumped onto the along river bottom. Her screaming lungs were finally given salvation as her head broke the surface. Just as quick as she tasted the sweet air she was pulled back down.

The current that had gotten her was a strong one that would have her spinning in all types of directions at an unmentionable speed. Rolling on the bottom so fast and randomly, it took her a moment to realize what had happened. She had hit her head against a large rock. On impact she had opened her eyes. At first she saw nothing but the rushing water around her, but a second later she saw it. Her blood. Swirling about her head and mixing with the water about, turning it a shade of pink. Seconds after acknowledging it, unconsciousness came and swept her away along with the river.

* * *

Kagome woke up with a start. Springing up into a sitting position she put a hand to her head only to find it damaged and practically healed. Realizing she wasn't dead or seriously hurt she visibly relaxed and flopped back onto the bed she had woken in. just as she felt herself falling back to sleep she suddenly realized that she was in a bed and knowing she was last in a river that wasn't growing any beds she sprung up in wonderment. _'How the hell did I get here?'_ her face seemed to scream as she looked around frantically. 

The room she was in was filled with cots all covered in lightly colored furs. The whole room was covered in wood even the floor, but the strange thing was she couldn't see any creases of nails anywhere. It looked as if the room was one bubble of wood. Along the walls she could see grooves in the wall filled with bandages, herbs, and other medical treatments.

Throwing the covers off her she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up. Her feet were bare and the sunk down low into the soft fur on the floor. **(And that would rhyme in you were from the south.)**

Passing though the furs draping over the door she found herself in a wooden hall lit with flameless torches along the wall. She would investigate that late but for now she had to figure out just where she was.

The hall also had fur linings. She passed many rooms as she traveled down the hall but she made no move to check them out, she had plenty of time for that later. The hall finally ended and she found herself in an enormous hall. This too was made from the strange wooden material. If she had to figure out the size of the cavern she would say she could fit her whole shrine inside. Windows filled every ounce of wall and she could see nothing but open sky and treetops from where she stood. The ceiling, form what she could tell seemed to be a closed in canopy of branches and leaves.

"Oh my God. I'm in a giant tree." Kagome breathed as realization suddenly hit her.

"Yes. And this giant tree happens to be my home." A deep voice said from below startling her.

Looking down Kagome saw that she stood at the top of a curving stairwell that ended in a sort of dining room setting. In the dining sat a large wooden table surrounded by sturdy looking chairs made of twigs. At the head of this table sat a woman wearing a straw hat that covered her face and a long braid lying across her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked as she came to stand next to the mysterious woman, only to have the senses knocked out of her as a staff cam crashing down on her head. "What was that for?" she screamed from where she had fallen to the floor, clutching her head in pain.

"I save your life and you ask me who I am? How ungrateful." The woman said as she stood up and looked Kagome in the face as she held out a hand to help her up. "But I guess I'll forgive you this one time. My name is Kira, and you my young ward…are cursed."

* * *

**Jaguargirl:** Happpy Birthday to me! Okay, now expect either Shining Star or The Protector to be updated next. Now give me a good birthday and give me lots of reviews or really long ones. I crave them. 


	7. Chp 7 Reunion

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* * *

**

Chp. 7 Reunion

* * *

The days had become weeks, which became months, and still there was no sign of their Kagome. It seemed she had just up and disappeared. The group took a hard blow when they lost their little miko. Inuyasha had become so grouchy and moody that he was often isolated outside the village. That is, when he would return from his endless Naraku chases. They had followed Naraku's trails for weeks before returning to Kaede's village. This was only due to the fact that they had started to drop from sickness and fatigue. Not to mention that Naraku had seemingly disappeared.

Sango became colder and moodier, which caused Miroku to often become absent whenever she would enter the vicinity. The monk seemed the calmest of the group, although he did spend more time meditating than anything else, and Shippo; Shippo took it the hardest. The moment they realized Kagome was gone and had no way of finding her, the little demon had gone into a silent rage and hadn't spoken since. No one blamed him, first his mother and now Kagome. His little heart couldn't take it.

When the group wasn't searching for Kagome and Inuyasha wasn't grounded from the village, they were sitting in Kaede's hut as she searched the fires for any sign of their friend. So far they had come up with nothing, but still they persisted. They persisted so much that Kaede soon realized it was useless and merely pretended while she caught up with the sleep the group had deprived her of.

At the moment they were all gathered in Kaede's hut as she pretended to search the fires for Kagome. Miroku, who sat closest to her, knew she always faked it but said nothing for he also knew she needed rest, besides he had Hachiemon out looking for any leads. The raccoon demon had yet to return with good news.

Sango sat in isolation with Kirara in her lap. The two were anxious and barely moved as they sat stiffly against the wall staring into space. The only movement the two made was the constant stoking of Sango's hand and Kirara's monotonous, swishing tail. Anyone looking at them could tell what they were thinking…they needed to kill something.

Inuyasha sat emotionless towards the back with his head down, hiding his face in the shadow of his hair. He was only allowed in the village now days for Kaede's daily fire reading and under the supervision of one of the group members. This meant Miroku because Sango and Kirara were walking time bombs and no one wanted to be around themmuch and Shippo was too young and inattentive. Especially these days.

The young fox sat furthest away from anyone. Crouching in the shadows like an ominous being. That was Inuyasha's job but Shippo was doing it much better, despite his size.

"Lady Kaede!" a villager cried as he barged into the hut only to stop dead in his tracks as five pairs of eyes stared at him resentfully for letting in the sunshine.

"Lady Kaede?" he asked unsurely as the eyes continued to stare.

"I'll…I'll just leave…this…right…umm…here PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" the villager screamed as he tore from the hut, leaving the letter he was delivering behind.

"Ye have got to stop doing that." Kaede scolded as she woke from her nap to retrieve the letter.

"We'll stop when we feel like it. Now stop your stalling and hurry up and FIND KAGOME!" Inuyasha growled angrily and he hopped to his feet, ready to drag Kaede back to the fire.

Said lady barely acknowledged the steaming hanyou as she read the letter with barely concealed glee. _'Thank the heavens…they'll finally leave.'_ Kaede thought as she hugged the letter to her chest in relief and placed it into her pocket before turning towards her other room occupants to find them all standing not three feet from her.

'_Thank the heavens they're leaving.'_ Kaede thought again as she mentally rolled her eyes.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked impatiently as Kaede stepped pass them to sit back down in her usual spot.

"Well what?" she asked taking a sip of her now cold tea.

"What was in the letter? Who's it from?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but I had assumed that the letter was for me."

"Do you _like_ strewing with my mind old hag?"

"Yes."

"What is in that letter?" Inuyasha ground out with barely contained anger.

"Information and perhaps the whereabouts of our Kagome." Kaede finally answered seriously. At this news the group all gasps and crowded the old lady so close that she was breathing in the air that they breathed out. She tried to get them to back up but she couldn't get a word in edgewise with the constant questioning they were throwing at her.

"Who's it from?" Miroku asked once everyone quieted down a bit.

Smiling pleasantly, and to build up the suspense, she answered simply, "Kagome."

* * *

The group set out immediately and once they were on their way, they seemed to come out of the slump that they had fallen into. In her letter, Kagome had said that she was fine and well and that she couldn't wait to see them again. She had also given them her location, but the only problem was that the letter was old and weather beaten. So they weren't sure _how_ she was doing now. For all they knew she could be dead or mortally wounded, for they thought it was highly likely once they found out whose territory she had entered. The dreaded Lady Kira. 

She was, Kaede informed them, a coldhearted plant demon and a ruthless sorceress. She had conquered and tamed the wild lands of the south in her youth and made a well known, and feared, reputation for herself. Recent news had said she'd killed an entire band of humans because one had wandered into her territory. She was high-strung and arrogant. Some said she even rivaled, or surpassed, Sesshomaru when it came to an aristocratic attitude. She killed all who didn't address her as Lady Kira, and she was extremely territorial. She allowed no demons on her lands who power level could even hurt a tree. She was merciless and cruel and she now had their Kagome.

"You know, Kaede told me that her lands are just as dangerous as she." Sango whispered as they entered a suspiciously quiet forest.

"Just stupid rumors." Inuyasha growled, although he too was whispering.

"I wouldn't say _that_ Inuyasha." Miroku said after a few seconds pause.

"Well for starters…" he began only to be cut off as a demon abruptly entered their path. They were shocked at the sight of the demon at first for they hadn't sensed or encountered any since entering Lady Kira's territory. Another thing that shocked the group was that the demon hadn't spotted them, for it only looked behind itself, and it seemed to be running from something.

"Do we get out of its way or do we attack?" Sango asked as she gripped Hiraikotsu.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not going to…" Inuyasha said gripping the Tetsusaiga as the demon came upon them, but before he could so much as unsheathe his sword or even finish his sentence; a tree saved him the trouble of doing anything at all.

It happened so swiftly that they were left speechless afterward. It sounded as if someone had chopped down a tree for the forest was suddenly filled with that loud groaning as a tree suddenly bent over the demon and snatched it up into its branches. The group was stunned as the sound of the demon's screams of anguish and the seemingly crunching of bones followed by an unmistakable gulp filled their ears as the demon's screams were silenced.

"Did that tree just-"Sango asked.

"Yep." Miroku answered before she could finish.

"I see…that's not normal."

"No it isn't."

Inuyasha on the other hand was grinning and laughing like a child at the fair. It was cool and he wanted to see it again, while Shippo, who hadn't spoken since Kagome vanished, was growling savagely at the now immobile tree.

"This place isn't right." Sango said loudly as a sense of unease washed over her. "Let's just find Kagome and get out of here before Lady Kira shows up."

"Too late." A deep womanly voice said from above them. But as they looked and saw no one they jumped in fright to find the owner of the voice standing directly in between them all.

On finding Lady Kira so close so suddenly, they all jumped away from her, while the unstable Shippo hissed fiercely.

She wasn't what they had expected. She was short and slender, with a long black braid cascading down her back. She smelled entirely of the forest which showed why they didn't smell her coming. On her head she wore a straw hat that covered all of her face except her mouth which showed a displeased smirk. The dress she wore, for that was what it was, only covered one arm and shoulder, the other was bare, and slanted down at the bottom till it stopped mid thigh, only covering one. It was made from, what they could only guess, left over pieces of youkai or animal fur for it was stitched together with different shades of brown.Around her waist, also slanted and covering her exposed thigh, was a sash made of animal fur. The sash had many pockets that held herbs and plants and small stones of many types. Also around her waist was the midnight black, with a tinge of green, pelt of some unknown animal. Her feet were bare except for the worn out animal fur that left her heel and toes exposed. The only weapon that could be seen on her was an ebony black staff with an axe blade on each end.

"Is there something I can help you with for it seems to me like you're _trespassing_ on _my_ lands?" Lady Kira asked in a voice filled with mock-kindness.

They were all silent; they were not sure how to phrase their next words without bringing the Ladies wrath upon them.

"Well!" the Lady asked loudly as she began to get angry. "You, Monk! Tell me what you want before I kill you all!"

"Pardon our trespass Madame, but we were merely searching for our dear friend who has contacted us recently. In her letter she said that we could find her here. We did not mean disrespect My Lady; for we have the utmost respect for you and your lands and we wouldn't dare enter your lands if not for her."

"You have the tongue of a snake monk." Lady Kira said with a smirk. "What would this friend of yours be doing in my lands?"

"We do not know my Lady, last we heard of her she had been kidnapped by Naraku."

"I will not lie to you monk. The girl is here and well taken care of, but you cannot have her. She is mine. Now if you leave now you will have a safe passage out, but if you enter again you will die by my hands."

"What do you mean she's yours?" Inuyasha said angrily as the Lady passed by and Shippo's eyes became tinged in red. Seeing this, Sango carefully lifted the fox into her arms and tried to coax him calm.

"I do not repeat myself, but for you I'll say this once more. She is mine. I found her; I've taken care of her, and made her my apprentice. Now leave before I go back on my deal." Dismissing them with a flip of her hand Lady Kira made to leave again.

"WHY YOU!" Inuyasha yelled angrily launching himself after the Ladies retreating figure. But before he could lay a hand on her…it was there. The dragon. The great white furred dragon with electric green eyes and scales to match. It was there and protecting it's mistress before Inuyasha knew what was happening.

"Insolent puppy!" Lady Kira growled angrily coming to stare up at Inuyasha who was trapped between a tree and the dragon's claws. Behind her the group was being stopped from helping by the trees that blocked their way. "Must you always solve your dilemmas with violence?"

"You don't know me." Inuyasha growled only to have his body constricted by the dragon, turning his growl into a wince.

"I do. You are the wild son of Inu no Taishō. The girl has told me all about you. She missed you terribly, now did you miss her?" Lady Kira asked, void of any emotion as the dragon turned toward her and growled warningly.

"Well duh, or else I wouldn't be here you old hag."

The others groaned. He just had to pull the old hag move. But to their surprise she laughed. She laughed loud and hard, the din sounding rich and sensual to their ears.

"To think she cried over you!" the Lady cried aloud with laughter. "You're even worse than I imagined, but very well. You can see her if you must."

"What?" Inuyasha asked confusedly.

"I said you can see her. Let him down Koji." Lady Kira said, now addressing the dragon, but the dragon didn't budge. "Hey! Are we going to have go through this again? Now put him down."

Reluctantly the dragon did as she told him, but not before snorting a huff of smoke in Inuyasha's face.

"If you want her, follow me." Lady Kira told them as she hopped aboard the dragon's back, who was currently glaring hatefully at Inuyasha.

"Should we trust them?" Sango asked as the trees finally let them through.

"I…where's Shippo?"

"What are you talking about? He's…a leaf." Looking down into her arms, Sango found herself, not holding a slightly unstable fox demon but a leaf.

"Where'd the hell did Kira go?" Inuyasha suddenly yelled making everyone looked his way only to find that the Lady and her dragon had vanished just as suddenly as she had arrived.

* * *

"How…big…is this…fucking…forest?" Inuyasha gasped as they trudged through the seemingly endless forest. 

"The language _please_, Inuyasha!" Miroku said exasperatedly as he became tired of the hanyou's bad language.

"I agree with Inuyasha on this one monk. I've become tired of this forest." Sango piped in after stopping to catch her breath.

"But I am a monk my dear Sango and it hurts to hear such language."

"Like you're one for morals!" Inuyasha snapped just before they were intruded by the great, furry, white dragon.

"The hell do you want?" Inuyasha growled.

The dragon bared is teeth and growled menacingly at Inuyasha before turning towards the others. Not being able to talk, the dragon turned his back to them and gestured with its head for them to get on.

They didn't move. He turned back to them and growled in annoyance.

"Can we trust you dragon? How do we know you're not just going to kill us?" Miroku asked suspiciously.

Without hesitation, the dragon snapped his head in Miroku's direction and stopped mere inches from biting his face off even before the monk could react. Growling in annoyance the dragon huffed smoke into his face before turning back to his earlier position. Officially showing that if he wanted to kill them then he would have.

"…no sense arguing with reason." Sango said after a while as she carefully climbed onto the dragon's back.

"You have a point there." Miroku agreed not far behind.

"Stupid dragon." Inuyasha muttered to himself before following his companions, but just as he made to seat himself onto the great dragon's back it flew off without him.

"HEY!" he yelled angrily, but the dragon kept on going, it seemed, although it could have been the glare of the sun, that it looked back at him and smiled.

"Stupid dragon!" Inuyasha mumbled angrily to himself as he was forced to follow on foot. "Didn't want to ride anyway."

* * *

It was just reaching dusk by the time they made it to the tree. The sight of it was breathtaking, even for Inuyasha. It was the tallest tree in the forest. Towering above the other by good 100 or so feet. One of its branches alone was bigger that the whole God Tree. It on one of these branches that the great dragon landed, Inuyasha would have never made it had he not, to the dragon's annoyance and anger, grabbed hold of his tail. 

Amidst the canopy of the colossal tree they could see for miles, from here, Lady Kira could watch over her whole territory without moving having to lead the comfort of her home. For that is what they assumed the giant tree to be. For there were signs of life on almost every branch, whether it be a wooden rooms, animal furs, or baskets.

They were interrupted from their musings by the dragon's irritated growl. Turning in his direction they could see him standing next to an opening they had failed to notice. Seeing them looking his way, the dragon jutted his head towards the opening before taking off, and barely missed knocking Inuyasha over the edge.

"I do believe he hates you Inuyasha." Miroku observed.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha barked before barging into the doorway soon followed by his companions.

The sight that greeted them was much the same as the sight Kagome had seen all those months ago. There was the humongous cavern, the stairwell, the many windows, the dining room setting, and the recreation area where Lady Kira lay asleep with Shippo on her chest.

"Traitor." Inuyasha mumbled loud enough so that the fox would hear him.

Sitting up immediately, Shippo's face blossomed into his first smile in over a year. "Hi guys!" he yelled cheerfully before bounding over to them, only to be caught in mid air by his tail.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Kagome." He answered obviously.

"Kagome! WHERE IS SHE?" Inuyasha yelled anxiously as he shook the fox so hard he couldn't hear his answer.

"What took you guys so long?" they heard Kagome's voice ask. The voice was slightly different, but it was her voice that they recognized.

Turning in the general direction of the voice they saw Lady Kira sitting up and stretching. "Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he continued to look around.

"Must you be so loud?" Lady Kira asked annoyed.

"Shut it hag, now where's Kagome? I just heard her! Now where is she?"

"I'm right here." Lady Kira said with a sigh as she took off her hat to reveal Kagome's face, wearing, as they had always remembered, her warm smile. "Did you miss me?"

* * *

**Jaguargirl:** Shortest chapter! It would have been longer but I wanted a cliffy. The next chapters will be flashbacks of what happened during Kagome's absence. 


	8. Chp 8 The Tale That Time Wove

**

* * *

**

Chp. 8 The Tale That Time Wove

* * *

The reunion ended in tears, hugs, and laughter. The tears were mostly on Kagome's part.

"You don't know how much I've missed you guys." She cried as she pulled herself away from Inuyasha, unabashed by her tears as she freely let them flow. "I had lost hope so much about seeing you again, but every time that happened she was there to slap me back. She may have been an old bat, but she was right. I never should have doubted her. It was just so long and the waiting. The waiting was horrible. Especially with that old senile hag trying to get me mated off." Here she stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I've got so much to tell you."

"That can wait until later, Lady Kagome, but for now I think…" Miroku began, suggesting that they all turn in for the night seeing as how the day's event took a toll on everyone, but was interrupted by Inuyasha.

"What the hell do you mean trying to get you mated off?" he asked angrily as he confronted her.

Instead of getting offensive, Kagome merely looked at him and smiled. Putting her arms around his neck she kissed him full on the mouth before pulling away. "Exactly like I said. She tried and tried, she even went so far as to send me into a patch of aphrodisiacs, but none of it worked. There's only one man for me and I wouldn't let her vary my choice."

The others were silent, so as to give the two a moment. But the silence was broken by an angry growling from one of the many windows.

Jumping away from the blushing Inuyasha, Kagome turned to see the dragon, Koji, staring at her accusingly. "What? I told you about Inuyasha ages ago."

Koji growled something in reply.

"Yeah and I also said that you would have to get over it." Turning her head towards the group, she whispered, "He thinks he owns me. He's even worse than you in that department, Inuyasha." There was then some enraged snarling from Koji.

"I was not comparing you to him. You know, you're just a big, jealous baby sometimes."

Koji then snorted and turned his head away from her with his nose in the air.

"But you're _my_ big, jealous baby." She cooed sweetly, "and I wouldn't have it any other way." He snorted a reply which made her smile. "Love you."

Koji didn't reply, he just growled and flew off.

"He'll be okay." She said to the others, seeing how they stared at her.

"You understand him?" Sango asked with astonishment.

"Huh? Oh yeah. We're bonded. I understand him as clear as day."

"Well that bond won't hurt you when you two have parted will it?" Inuyasha asked considerately.

"What do you mean parted? He's not gone very far."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about when you leave him to come back with us."

"…I'm not going to leave him. He's saved my so many times that I wouldn't dare abandon him. I love him too much."

"Well _I_ said we're not taking him and that's that."

A dark cloud seemed to pass over Kagome's face as she stared at the smug hanyou. To be on the safe side, the rest stepped back.

"You said. _You said_! The last time I checked, _you_ don't own me , _you_ don't tell me what to do, and I'll be _damned_ if that'll start now! Now he's coming with me and that's _that_ because _I_ said so!"

Inuyasha was speechless, but the others could tell he was seething and building something up to yell, and Kagome on her part was looking like she held a quiet death for the hanyou.

"Uh oh, they just got back together and they're already fighting." Shippo whispered to Sango and she nodded in agreement.

"My dear Kagome," Miroku said as he placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder in hopes to distract her, "are you human again or have your transformation been completed."

"Why do you ask?" Sango asked curiously.

"He's probably wondering because the fuzzy ears are gone and replaced by the tail." Kagome answered for him as she touched her pointy ears on the side of her head and the black and green pelt around her waist.

"Tail?" Shippo asked as he hopped to her shoulder.

"This isn't over." Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

Kagome's reply was a sneer she sent his way before smiling back at her friends.

"Yeah a tail," she said, answering Shippo's question as she unraveled her tail from her waist, "it's really long and sensitive, that's why I keep it wrapped around me."

"Tell me about it." Shippo said with a shudder as he caressed his tail.

"I had tried to keep it over my shoulder like Sesshomaru's…but wake up during the night and find some black and fuzzy thing on your shoulder and _whew_ let me tell you about it. I was already freaked out enough when the ears morphed, but then there was the tail, but thankfully Kouga assured me that it was normal for wolves."

"How the hell do you know that that's Sesshomaru's _tail_, and what does _Kouga_ has to do with anything?" Inuyasha growled angrily.

"Umm…you…I…_well_." Kagome stuttered nervously before she was saved by Koji's urgent growling from the window.

"What?" Kagome yelled at him startled. "I thought you handled that."

Koji growled an excuse.

"Doesn't he know when to quit. Okay I'm coming." Turning back to the other's she quickly grabbed her weapon and her hat and put it on. "Okay guys I have to take care of a _problem._ I'll try to be back as soon as possible to show you to your rooms, but for now just hang out in here. The kitchen is that way and the restroom is over through there. The keyword is aim." Jumping onto Koji's back, Kagome and the dragon departed despite the yell of concern from her friends.

"What's the matter Kagome?"

"Is there some battle about to take place?"

"Come back here."

"Which way is the bathroom?"

* * *

It was well into the night when Kagome came back. Stumbling to the floor, from exhaustion, wounds, or both, even she didn't know, she landed on top of Koji, who saw the fatigue and came to her rescue. 

"Okay, you can carry me to my room, I don't mind." Lying listlessly on his back, she rested, as the great dragon, skillfully, climbed the stairs. Neither noticing how her companions had disappeared.

"We've got to be more careful. He almost got me this time." She mumbled. Only to be growled at angrily by Koji. "Alright! _I'm_ going to have to be more careful. Okay? Are you happy now?"

"As a matter-o-fact…I'm not." A voice growled quietly from the darkness, and before she knew it, Kagome was being held in the air by the scruff of her collar.

"Hello honey. Are we still mad about earlier?" she asked the angry hanyou holding her while she inconspicuously signaled the dragon to halt his attack.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I told you. I had a problem to take care of. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll like to get some sleep."

"Who almost had you?" he growled out, ignoring her statement.

"Oh, is that's what's the matter with you? You're jealous. Don't worry, I'm a dominate female and it'll take more than that to claim me." She reassured him as her tail wrapped itself around them both and she put her arms around his neck. This seemed to be a mistake for the next thing she knew she was against the wall and Inuyasha's nose was at her neck. She gasped at the sudden closeness of their bodies as the air was pushed out from her.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see hatred in Koji's eyes before he stalked off. She knew Inuyasha would have to watch his back from now on. Her attention was brought back to the problem at hand when Inuyasha's angry face was facing her.

"Mine." He snarled before crushing her mouth with his.

She groaned against his kiss, but it was from frustration rather then pleasure. This wasn't a true kiss; this was brought on by jealousy. Sighing she allowed him to kiss her as she gently rubbed his neck, looking for a main vein. On finding it, she lightly punctured the skin with her claws. His body quivered once, twice and then went still.

"Why must you be so jealous?" she asked the unconscious body as she hoisted in onto her shoulders. "You're just like your brother…fight me one minute try to tell me what to do the next."

* * *

The next morning the group awoke, from their own spare bedrooms that they had found, to the smell of cooking food. Inuyasha was the first down, and Kagome couldn't tell if his urgency was for the cooking food or what happened last night. She had tried to make him think it was a dream by putting him back to where he was sleeping and wiping all the scents from the hallway except for hers'. 

"My dear Kagome, I know we've been apart for a while now, but Inuyasha doesn't eat _this_ much." Miroku said as he caught sight of all the food sitting on the table, while Kagome continued to cook in her kitchen-like area.

"I know," she laughed, "but Koji will eat whatever's left. Besides, we're celebrating us getting back together. I'm sure you can indulge yourself with a bit of extra food for this occasion."

The kitchen was no more than a raised platform off to the back of the room, surrounded by a wooden railing. Kagome was cooking inside a large cutaway in the tree about mid waist high. Inside the cutaway sat a large flat stone, on which Kagome was cooking, and off to the side was a bowl shaped hole with a drain, which was obviously a sink. Hanging above the sink was a pull rope and a wooden pipe. Off to either side of the cutaway were two doorways.

"Need any help Kagome?" Sango asked coming over.

"Uh actually yes." Raking the food onto a platter, Kagome pointed towards a door in the cutaway she had been blocking. "See that door in the wall right here. Open it up; I have some rolls in there baking. They should be ready now. Use that cloth right there so you won't burn yourself."

As Kagome came by with the food, Inuyasha couldn't help but make a comment, a grave mistake on his part.

"Oi girl, how stupid can you be to cook inside a…"

"No!" Kagome yelled so suddenly that Inuyasha jumped. Turning towards her he growled and unsheathed tetsusaiga as he saw the problem. That stupid dragon. That stupid, bastard of a dragon that was so obviously in love with his Kagome. That's right he said '_his'_.

"This is going to get old fast." Kagome muttered from her position inside Koji's mouth, preventing the enraged dragon from chomping on her thick headed hanyou.

"Get out of there Kagome and let him through, I'm ready for him!" Inuyasha yelled with tetsusaiga pointed straight at Koji.

"Inuyasha put your sword down!" Kagome yelled at him before turning her attention to Koji. "Come on sweetie calm down. Come on do it for me." She coaxed softly rubbing the great dragon on his tongue.

"What's the matter you big sis…" Inuyasha began only to be silenced as Kagome's tail became wrapped around his mouth.

Forcefully closing Koji's mouth, she hugged it shut and looked him dead in the eyes. "Why don't you go patrol? That way you can kill any demon or runaway tree you find. How does that sound?"

Koji's response was a snarl and a pointed look in Inuyasha's direction and then some growling. Kagome laughed nervously at this before kissing him on the snout.

"Just come back soon. And help us eat all this food." She said softly as he snorted and headed towards one of the windows, but before he left he growled one more thing which made Kagome stare in shock

"What did he say Kag…?" Shippo began only to be cut off as Kagome yelped loudly before turning around and punching Inuyasha in the face.

"What was that for?" Inuyasha yelled from his position on the floor.

"You bit my tail." She said in a scandalous voice as she caressed the mentioned appendage.

"Well you're the one who had it wrapped around my mouth. What else was I suppose to do?"

"You could've gotten my attention some other way you didn't have to…don't you know what that mean…umm…just don't do it anymore." She finished with a blush.

"What does it mean Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked with a smirk.

Blushing harder, Kagome cleared her voice loudly and turned away. "Well, let's eat everyone; I'm sure you're all famished."

"What so bad about…" Inuyasha began only to be interrupted by Kagome yell of: "LET'S EAT!"

* * *

They had gotten halfway through the meal before Kagome noticed how uncommonly quiet it had gotten. Looking up from her food she looked around at her friends and saw that, although they continued to eat, kept shooting glances in her direction, while Inuyasha openly stared at her. 

"Okay guys." She announced getting tired of the staring. "What's up?"

"We were hoping you would be able to tell us?" Miroku began without missing a beat.

"Heh?" she said confusedly at her head tilted to the side.

"What happened to the real Lady Kira?" Sango asked.

"Why haven't your transformation completed?" Shippo offered.

"What the hell has been going on with you, Sesshomaru, and Kouga?" Inuyasha growled angrily.

"Oh! I was hoping you'd forget I'd said anything yesterday." Kagome said nervously as she scratched her head.

"Well surprise, surprise… I didn't. Now are you going to tell us what happened or are we going to have to resolve to drastic measures."

"Like what?"

"The tickle of death." Shippo said sadistically as he jumped onto the table.

"You too?" she asked with mock hurt. "Very well then. Where would you like for me to start off?"

"The last time I saw you running off up the mountain." Inuyasha answered for them all.

"That far back. Let me see if I can remember…"

**Flashback **

"Neom?" she whispered unsurely taking a step towards him.

"What?" Inuyasha asked from where he was fighting demons nearby.

"NEOM!" she yelled ignoring him as Neom took off running up the mountain. Behind him a white tail streamed behind him like a banner. _'He's a wolf demon.'_ She thought shocked.

"No! Wait! Neom! Come back, Neom! Neom!" she screamed as she took off in hot pursuit of the strange, familiar boy.

Kagome didn't notice anything else but the retreating form of the boy as they ran further and further up the mountain path. She called his name over and over again, but he didn't so much as look back at her. She grew more and more desperate and no matter how fast she ran he always stayed ahead of her.

'_Why won't he stop? What's wrong with him? Where's he going?'_ were the thoughts that ran through her mind as she chased the wolf boy. Said boy eventually went over a prominence at the top and out of view. With sudden desperation she ran faster and harder until she practically flew over the hill.

She stopped to catch her breath as she saw with relief that they had reached the top. The top itself was a fairly flat place with a peak too small to climb. This is where she found Neom. He stood resting his back against the peak with his head held down and a small smile on his face.

"I was surprised you followed. I didn't think you'd come, what with your mate telling you to leave and all."

"Mate? Oh you mean Inuyasha. No, he's not my mate. Just…potential." She found herself saying, as she had the sudden impulse to hug and reconcile him. But as she began to step towards him he looked up at her with a smile that made his handsome face ugly with evil.

"You are very gullible my dear Kagome." Neom said with Naraku's voice as his eyes began to bleed red and his hair grew dark and longer. "Following a strange demon towards danger on an impulse of slight familiarity."

She found herself about to cry, but anger and fear quickly overtook that feeling. "Why'd you do it? What do you want from me?" she yelled at the proverbial image of Naraku.

"I want nothing _from_ you at the moment my dear." Naraku said as he grabbed her around the neck and hoisted her into the air. "What I need for you to do is stay away from those friends of yours."

"What?" she managed to choke out as she futilely tried to wrench his hand from her throat.

"You heard me girl. With them your transformation will never complete."

"I…"

"Can't? Won't?" he finished for her. "You will if you want them to live."

"Wha…"

"I place a curse on you my dear. Get anywhere near them and they shall perish. Speak to them and their world shall end. Let them know anything and all is over." As he said these words a squeezing sensation overcame her and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his eyes. She was in a trance and there was nothing she could do about it.

Soon the grip on her throat lessened and so did the squeezing sensation. "Go to them if you like girl. Their deaths shall be on your hands." Naraku said with an emotionless bland expression.

Rubbing her neck, she stood up and watched Naraku with a wary eye. She slowly began to back away from him, but he made no room to stop her. She backed away until she came to the hill she had crossed earlier. Still he made no move towards her. With one last glance at him she took off at a run.

She was getting closer and closer towards the battle scene for the sounds of a fight were getting louder. But as she neared she began to believe Naraku's curse. Stopping completely she contemplated whether to venture on or not.

"That's right, get closer. You'll be doing me a favor."

Spinning on her heel she caught sight of Naraku just before he disappeared into nothingness. He was teasing her. Putting a determined expression on her face she turned towards her friends once again and walked confidently towards them. But as she moved a few feet closer, Naraku's laughter reached her ears and the sounds of pain filled screams reached her ears. She whimpered.

"Fine. FINE! I'll leave!" she screamed into the night as tears streamed down her face. Wiping them away, she headed up the mountain once again.

"Good choice." She heard the bodiless Naraku say as she reached the summit once again.

Looking out over the land, she could see that the demons were diminishing and her friends were winning.

"They will be safe as long as you stay away." Naraku said as he materialized by her side. She was too distraught to care as she let the tears fall freely.

"But what if they find me. They'll just follow my scent wherever I go."

"Do not fret my dear. The more demons they kill down there the more miasmas will be released and _it'll_ destroy your scent for miles to come." Now he turned to look at her. "I will give you this and nothing more. From now on my biggest desire is to transform you fully. I will not be so kind during our next meeting."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked in a heavy voice as she turned to look at him.

"Merely for my amusement, my dear." He said with a wicked smile before his body dissolved into a thick, dark fog that covered her from view. "Now go." His voice whispered in her ear.

"Trying to hide her disgust at having his fog like body touch her, she glanced once more down at the battle and gave them a silent goodbye. Squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high, she did not look back once as she began to run the length of the mountain range. Running away from her friends and towards the unknown and a new adventure.

* * *

Kagome had run far and hard. She ran until her legs went numb and the effort to breathe became hard to do. Even with all this she couldn't stop. She needed to get far away. Needed to get away from her friends, away from Naraku, and away from it all. Running for miles she finally crossed to the other side of the mountain range and looked for a suitable place to rest. Somewhere so she could be alone. Like a small cave she found at the base of the mountain hidden by trees and smelling musty with mold. The perfect place to cry her heart out. 

She awoke early that morning as stiff as a board and filthy from lying on the ground all night. There were a few tears still on her face from crying in her sleep. She hastily wiped them away, she was done with crying and doubted she'd be doing it for some time. As she walked from the cave she shielded her eyes from the sudden light, waiting till they adjusted before surveying her surroundings. But as she did so she noticed that she didn't have the sash around her eyes. Looking around she found it on the ground where she had slept. Picking it up she started to put it back on when a thought occurred to her. Out alone in the wilderness with no weapons she was vulnerable to attack. Without the sash she could enchant any demons long enough to escape. Smiling she turned to place the sash in her bag, but discovered it was nowhere to be found.

"Oh that's just great. I must've dropped it back there." She grumbled as she realized that she had no food, medical supplies, extra clothes, or bathing products. "I'm going to stink." She cried aloud to herself in despair.

"Fine. If I'm going to be by myself for…a while. I need to be prepared." She said as she regained her composure. "That means shelter, food, water, weapons, and medicine." Shaking her head in agreement with herself, she smiled grimly.

"First things first…," she thought. "…a bath."

The nearest hot spring was about 3 ½ miles from her camp and not very big, although it _was_ big enough for a petite girl like her to relax and wash comfortably. She had crossed small creeks not big enough for nothing no bigger than a raccoon to clean itself with. As she finished her bath, she washed the robes Kaede had given her and crouched next to the spring in nothing but her underwear as she washed the robes. She was subconscious about being out in nothing but her underwear but she was more subconscious about being dirty.

A buzzing sound reached her ears. Not moving she turned her head towards the sound and saw to her disdain, one of Naraku's insects. Growling low she grabbed a stone nearby and threw it with all her might towards the evil bug. It hit dead on and _it_ fell dead on impact.

Standing up defiantly she grabbed her wet clothes and placed them back onto her person. She couldn't stay here; Naraku was too close for comfort. She had no possessions so she left right then. She would find the essentials she needed as she moved. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew it was far enough so that Naraku would have a difficult time finding her.

As she walked she used the sash for her eyes to hold any herbs she could recognize. She was constantly checking for tree limbs and vines so she could have an efficient weapon. And her ears were on alert for any predators or the tell-tale buzzing of Naraku's spies.

She seemed to walk for hours and hours through a never ending forest. She was hot, tired, hungry, and her bare feet were aching. Her hunger was the worst of them all. She tried abating it by eating the many berries, nuts, and mushrooms that she could identify. But the hunger never left or even eased up. She had even fallen upon a series of blackberry bushes, but she was halfway through the whole batch when she became sick of them. Her hunger was still there and worse than ever.

"Why am I so hungry?" she wondered aloud as she held her aching stomach. As she collapsed to the ground as a particular painful hunger pain hit her, the sound of trickling water reached her ears.

"Fish." She breathed out as she growled along with her stomach. Climbing to her feet, she hastily grabbed her sash and her makeshift bow and ran off into the general direction she heard the water coming from. Soon her trickling water turned into a steady rush as she reached the bank of the river. Dropping her things a few feet from the water, she rolled her pants legs up along with her sleeve before stepping off into cold water. She could see the fish swimming about her clear as day. But when she would reach down to grab one, they suddenly weren't there. This happened seven times, and on the eighth she kicked at the fish out of frustration. She didn't expect anything to happen except for a big splash and for the fish to scatter. But the next thing she knew and saw was a large fish come flying out of the water and land on dry land by her things.

She looked at the gaping fish with astonishment. "Well, okay." She said with a smile as she trudged from the water and came to sit next to her dieing dinner.

"Now what?" she asked herself realizing she had no fire, no knife, or seasoning which she usually had when cooking from the land. "You're pathetic. You can't do anything right. Why didn't you think this through?" She could hear Inuyasha as plain as if he was standing next to her, criticizing everything she did. She was going to miss him like crazy.

Lighting a fire she cooked, using her claws and a stick,her small meal and ate in silence, missing the chatter and noise of her companions already as she felt tears begin to spring up in her eyes. But before they could fall she hardened up and glared into the fire at the sudden intruder.

"You know the fish would have tasted just as fine if you would have eaten it raw?" Naraku said casually as he lounged on the opposite side of the fire.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked coldly, idly noticing she was more annoyed than frightened. Naraku noticed this too and smiled.

"Only for the pleasure of your company."

"Oh isn't that sweet? I think I'm going to be sick."

At this Naraku laughed at her. "I've brought you a present."

"I don't want it." She said as she turned away from him.

"But you don't know what it is yet."

"Don't care. I don't want anything that you have to offer."

"Now with this you have no say." Naraku growled as his casual attitude turned cold. "You see I need you to complete your transformation and I am not a patient demon."

"Why can't you get this through your thick head? I don't want to be a demon! I'm human, I've always been human, and I will always be…"

"Now that's were you're wrong." Naraku said offhandedly as if talking to a small child.

Angry that he wasn't taking her seriously, she kicked the fire embers into his face. Hearing his howl of pain she took off into the surroundings woods.

She was surprised that Naraku hadn't attacked her, but she didn't dwell on it long enough to stop running. Only when she noticed that she had not only left behind her sash and herbs, but that she had left her makeshift bow along with it.

"OH! This cannot be happening!" she yelled into the night angrily as she kicked a nearby tree. Splintering it on impact and inflicting no pain on her whatsoever. "This is ridiculous! I can't keep doing this!" she said despondently as she crouched into a feeble position on the ground.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed by before she came out of her stupor. She was sure she had fallen asleep for she was a bit more energized and the sky was darker with more stars. Her ears twitched as a scream resounded through the forest. The noise which had aroused her in the first place. She jumped to her feet without hesitation as she recognized the scream to belong to a child. The scream sounded out again, this time closer, and she was off and heading in the general direction it sounded like it came from. It didn't occur to her that she had no weapons, she didn't necessarily know how to fight, or that she hadn't a clue as to what type of problem she was running to. She only knew that a child needed protection.

Running at a speed she had only recently reached with Kouga, Kagome ran with a fueled anger until she arrived on the scene. She stopped on a newly formed path with uprooted trees and overturned boulders everywhere. She couldn't hear anything except the labored breathing of the child as she ran from underneath the canopy of a batch of undisturbed trees. The little girl didn't seem to notice her standing in her way as she ran closer. Kagome just watched as the little girl ran and fell, but once the demon burst from the trees she took action.

Suddenly angry, she ran at the demon as a vicious growl escaped her lips. Leaping over the child she launched herself into the air at the unfathomable demon. It was one of those demons that had no specific genre except the regular demon powers like healing, strength, and speed. Not exactly knowing what she was doing she punched the demon with all her might on the top of its head. Time seemed to stand still as her fist met the demons gray, knobby skin. During the time freeze she noticed that the child lay just behind her curled in a feeble position and that the demon was exceptionally large and ugly.

'_What am I doing here? I shouldn't be fighting demons. That's Inuyasha's department. But this…this is fun._' she thought to herself before time sped back up, and her fist glowed green with power as the demon disintegrated on impact.

She landed gracefully on her feet with a feeling of satisfaction flowing through her very being. "If everything keeps going like this I won't need to worry about surviving." Kagome said aloud to herself as she flexed her claws. She was brought back from her musings by a soft crying coming from the little girl. Kagome's eyes softened as she looked at the pitiable creature crying on the ground. She had forgotten all about the child.

Going to where the girl lay, Kagome gently laid a comforting hand on the girl's back.

"Ahh!" the little girl screamed as she sprung to her feet. "Leave Rin alone!"

Grabbing Rin's arm, Kagome calmly waited until the child realized that she wasn't going to hurt her. She had been kidnapped plenty of times and knew exactly what to do so the girl wouldn't panic. Well, panic anymore than what she was doing now.

"Relax." Kagome told her softly although firmly.

Rin stopped struggling instantly and only watched Kagome tensely through tear stricken eyes filled with fear. The sight hurt Kagome's heart. She wasn't used to been looked at with such fear.

"Listen. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you."

"You don't want to eat Rin?" Rin asked timidly as she sniffed and wiped her nose.

"No. Little girls are too sweet to eat? They'll rot my teeth." Kagome told her, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but by the way Rin stiffened up again she knew her humor fell flat. "Where's your village Rin? I'll take you back to your parents."

"Rin doesn't live in a village. Rin lives in the castle."

"Castle? Are you a princess Rin?" Kagome asked with a large smile as every little girl's dream popped into her head.

"No. Master Jaken tells Rin she is no princess, but Lord Sesshomaru say's Rin must act like one when we have guests." At saying her adopted father's name, Rin suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Eh?" Kagome blurted out in dumbfounded confusion. "You…you live with Sesshomaru!"

"Oh yes. Lord Sesshomaru saved Rin, now Rin lives with Lord Sesshomaru." By now Rin was practically bouncing on her heels as she talked of her hero.

"Do you…do you _like_ living with him?" she just had to know. She couldn't picture a happy, _human_, bubbly child living with the stoic, ice-prince.

"Oh yes very much. Lord Sesshomaru takes very good care of Rin and sends Master Jaken to play with her very often. Master Jaken is very loud."

"Where is Sessh-Lord Sesshomaru now? Is he close by?" she didn't feel much like running into him at the moment, not after the circumstances of their last departing.

**_FLASHBACK_**(The Flashback within the flashback: insert spooky music of your choice here.)

_The poison ate away at her bandages as quick as...something quick._

_Sesshomaru watched as the cloth fell away from her glowing eyes. She raised her head up, and glared devilishly into his eyes. He saw that her eyes were...and then he knew no more._

_Kagome watched as Sesshomaru's body flashed violet and then go rigid. His eyes stared blankly at her, unmoving, only hearing, and seeing. He just stood unmoving, hands down by his side._

_Kagome smirked. Running as fast as she could, she jumped up and landed a kick straight into his chest. Sending his stiff body to the ground._

_Kagome's eyes stopped glowing as she strode over to him._

_She stood, smiling over him. She had placed one of her legs on either side of him. Squatting down she looked him in the eye._

"_I believe you owe me something," she said as she untied his yellow and purple sash. Waving it in his face, she stood up. Putting the necessary spell on the sash, she started to walk away, but a clawed hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. Looking back, she smiled._

"_This isn't over bitch." Sesshomaru grunted out, trying to fight off the enchantment._

_Wrenching her foot out of his grasp, Kagome bent down to whisper in his ear. "The name is Kagome. K-A-G-O-M-E. Kagome. Hear it, learn it, eat it. Oh and before I forget. You're going to be very sleepy. You already are. In fact, you're going to go to sleep right...now." And with that said, Sesshomaru's unmoving eyes, fluttered shut._

_**ENDFLASHBACK**_

She shuttered to think what he would do if they were to ever meet up again.

"Rin does not know where Lord Sesshomaru is? Rin was out picking flowers with Master Jaken when…"

"STAND BACK RIN! I'LL PROTECT YOU!" a nasal voice yelled from above. Looking up, Kagome could see a green and brown blob coming towards her at a would-be fast speed. Standing up calmly she effortlessly swatted the thing down.

"Rin told you Master Jaken was loud." Rin said with a small smile.

"Oh honorable demoness! Please take pity on this lowly Jaken, for he did not know the extent of your power." Getting to his knees, Jaken buried his head in the dirt and groveled at Kagome's feet.

"He was only doing what his Lord and Master Sesshomaru commanded of him! To protect this pathetic human girl! Please do not hurt me!"

"Hush!" Kagome yelled over the noise. "You're hurting my ears."

Jaken stopped yelling and only quivered and shook in fear.

"_Great_ protector." Kagome said sarcastically, looking at Rin through half-lidded eyes. Rin merely laughed.

"Master Jaken. Rin was attacked by a demon and…OH. Rin is sorry, where are Rin's manner." Taking a clumsy curtsy, Rin smiled cutely at her. "My name is Rin." Rin announced with practiced droning.

Returning her curtsy Kagome smiled back. "My name is Kagome."

"Kagome?" Jaken finally said, all fear gone from his voice. "So you are the wench that my lord…" but he stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of Kagome's eyes. Her unshielded eyes. He became entranced instantly as a purple glow flashed through his body.

"Master Jaken?" Rin asked curiously as she poked his prone figure.

"He'll be fine." Kagome said off-handedly. "Now Rin. Jaken is going to take you back to the castle and I won't you to stay there until Sesshomaru returns okay."

"Okay." Rin said cheerfully.

"Is that understood Jaken? You are to take Rin straight home and make sure she's safe. Is that understood?"

"Yes Madam Kagome." Jaken said in a broken, robotic voice. "Is that all Madam?"

"Y…" Kagome began then thought. She had no food, no weapons, and no supplies. "Matter-o-fact there are a few things."

* * *

She didn't think it was going to be that easy, but now that she thought back on it, she couldn't see any way it could have gone wrong. She had Jaken completely bewitched, Rin was only to happy to help, and Sesshomaru was nowhere around. At first she had felt guilty about what she was doing, but she reasoned with herself saying that they owed her for saving Rin.

At first she had requested the essentials: a bow and arrows, a sack, food, and herbs; but she couldn't help but be a little greedy: extra clothing, sandals, socks, soap, flint, pots and pans. To say the least, she was now well prepared.

After retrieving her new things, and commanding Jaken to play whatever Rin wanted, she headed away from the western lands and in the general direction away from where she knew her friends to be. So it was all southern bound for her. Well, at least she thought that was the direction she was heading in. She also didn't know where she was going but she new that you couldn't get lost if you never had a destination. Laughing to herself she settled down for a break. She was in no hurry, she was on no decipherable path, and she was hungry.

Digging for the food Jaken had given her she came up with a wine flask and a large, flat piece of beef jerky. Well that's what she assumed it was. Sniffing it she shrugged and deemed it safe as she caught the aroma of beef. Nibbling on the edge she taste-tested it.

'_Not bad.'_ She thought as she took a bigger bite and ate in silence.

"Well isn't this nice." A voice suddenly said in her ear.

Screaming loudly she turned toward the voice and screamed even louder as she saw it was Naraku. Now that she knew who it was she screamed not out of fear but the satisfaction of seeing him flinch in pain. The noise would've hurt her ears too but since she was the one making the noise, it wasn't so bad.

"Cease that racket!" Naraku growled putting a hand over her mouth. But instead of doing as he said she clamped her fangs down on his hand. Growling in pain he wrenched his hand from her mouth and slapped her across the face so hard she hit the ground. The slap stung and she was sure would be sore later, but she made no sign that she felt it and sat back up with as much dignity as she could muster. Naraku was favoring his bleeding hand as she righted herself. Grabbing her wine flask she took a swig and as Naraku turned towards her angrily she spit the contents in his face. But instead of growling or hitting her again; he laughed.

She tensed at the sound. Oh how she hated that laugh.

"What's this!" he barked. "Not afraid of me anymore?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" she hissed softly. "I haven't been afraid of you since you cursed me."

"Is that so?" he asked as a grin spread out across his face.

"Yeah. Now if you will excuse me. I have somewhere to be. _Away from you_." Not sparing him a glance she began to repack her bag.

"Why the hurry?" Naraku whispered as he wrapped his arms her shoulders.

"What do you want?" she asked, repulsed by his touch.

"I thought that was obvious by now." He said sultrily as he breathed in her scent. "What I want is you."

She stilled at his words. They seemed…familiar…as if someone had told them to her before. Was it Inuyasha? She wasn't sure, but for some reason those five little words filled her with anger. With her hand still in the sack she curled her fingers around the handle of a knife. She had asked for this knife so she could gut and skin things without the use of her claws, and it had to be extra sharp to be used as so.

"I have something for you." He said absently as he nuzzled her neck.

"Funny. I have something for you too." Gripping the knife tightly she wrenched her arm from the sack and swung at his face. He managed to move at the last moment and she only managed a cut across his eye.

"So there still is some spark left in the old bitch isn't there?" Naraku laughed as he touched his bleeding wound. "Always the eyes eh sweetheart?" he added calmly.

"WHAT?" She yelled, suddenly angry. Gripping her knife tighter she tore after him as he disappeared into the forest. "What are you talking about? Why are you doing this to me? What can you gain? Is it the Shikon? Is that what you want? Then just take it! Leave me alone!" she yelled this as she chased him, dodged tentacles that would spring out of the ground, absent-mindedly strike down lesser demons he would send at her, and slice through his cursed wasps. All the while getting stronger, faster, and angrier. This, Naraku, knew and he only laughed at her as her anger sped up the poison in her system.

She didn't know how long she ran, she couldn't remember how many lesser demons she had fought, nor did she realize how uncharacteristic Naraku was being by running from her. She didn't really think of anything now but the gradually darkening features of the land around her. _'What's going on?'_ she thought before the darkness consumed her, never hearing Naraku's yell of frustration.

* * *

She came back to her senses with an earsplitting scream. She felt a pair of arms tighten around her as she thrashed about. She had a good idea of who it was so she continued to scream and thrash about wildly.

"Calm yourself girl or else you shall fall to your death." She heard him say in a patronizing voice as if she was a 5 year who was throwing a tantrum.

She ignored him and continued to fight. She smiled when her foot kicked him in his head resulting in a loud cracking noise. But her happiness was short lived as she felt his hand connect with her cheek and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She stopped her restraints then and there and just laid limply in his grasp.

"Glad you finally see things my way." Naraku sneered as he popped his head back into place. "That was a foolish thing you did girl. What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked her in that same patronizing voice.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"What?" he asked with surprise as he turned back to her.

"Thank you." She said again in a louder stronger voice as she held her head up to look at him. "You've seen to have broken something." She said with a brazen smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"You tell me." She said before closing her eyes to relish in the power she felt radiating through her body. Through her closed eyelids she could see the bright lights of her miko powers as they poured from her. She could hear Naraku's screams as he lost his grip on her. She could feel the air passing over her body as she fell from unknown heights. She was tired, oh so tired. She could barely lift her eyelids. Her miko powers finally died out, leaving her aching with a slight burning sensation all over her body. But she didn't even flinch or gasp. Even when she hit the cold river below.

Although she made no sign of it, the water was biting cold and she could already feel her body going numb from it and her lungs seemed frozen from the cold. All around her, all she could hear was the roaring, rushing river as it swept her to who knows where. Because of the cold she barely felt the prodding of the many rocks and pebbles as she bumped along the river bottom. Her screaming lungs were finally given salvation as her head broke the surface. Just as quick as she tasted the sweet air she was pulled back down.

The current that had gotten her was a strong one that would have her spinning in all types of directions at an unmentionable speed. Rolling on the bottom so fast and randomly, it took her a moment to realize what had happened. She had hit her head against a large rock. On impact she had opened her eyes. At first she saw nothing but the rushing water around her, but a second later she saw it. Her blood. Swirling about her head and mixing with the water about, turning it a shade of pink. Seconds after acknowledging it, unconsciousness came and swept her away along with the river.

* * *

Kagome woke up with a start. Springing up into a sitting position she put a hand to her head only to find it damaged and practically healed. Realizing she wasn't dead or seriously hurt she visibly relaxed and flopped back onto the bed she had woken in. Just as she felt herself falling back to sleep she suddenly realized that she was in a bed and knowing she was last in a river that didn'tgrow beds, she sprung up in wonderment. _'How the hell did I get here?'_ her face seemed to scream as she looked around frantically.

The room she was in was filled with cots all covered in lightly colored furs. The whole room was covered in wood even the floor, but the strange thing was she couldn't see any creases or nails anywhere. It looked as if the room was one bubble of wood. Along the walls, she could see grooves in the wall filled with bandages, herbs, and other medical treatments.

Throwing the covers off her she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up. Her feet were bare and sunk down low into the soft fur on the floor. **(And that would rhyme in you were from the south.)**

Passing through the furs draping over the door she found herself in a wooden hall lit with flameless torches along the wall. She would investigate that later but for now she had to figure out just where she was.

The hall also had fur linings. She passed many rooms as she traveled down the hall but she made no move to check them out, she had plenty of time for that later. The hall finally ended and she found herself in an enormous hall. This too was made from the strange wooden material. If she had to figure out the size of the cavern she would say she could fit her whole shrine inside. Windows filled every ounce of wall and she could see nothing but open sky and treetops from where she stood. The ceiling, from what she could tell, seemed to be a closed in canopy of branches and leaves.

"Oh my God. I'm in a giant tree." Kagome breathed as realization suddenly hit her.

"Yes. And this giant tree happens to be my home." A deep voice said from below startling her.

Looking down Kagome saw that she stood at the top of a curving stairwell that ended in a sort of dining room setting. In the room sat a large wooden table surrounded by sturdy looking chairs made of twigs. At the head of this table sat a woman wearing a straw hat that covered her face and a long, whitebraid lied across her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked as she came to stand next to the mysterious woman, only to have the senses knocked out of her as a staff came crashing down on her head. "What was that for?" she screamed from where she had fallen to the floor, clutching her head in pain.

"I save your life and you ask me who I am? How ungrateful." The woman said as she stood up and looked Kagome in the face as she held out a hand to help her up. "But I guess I'll forgive you this one time. My name is Kira, and you, my young ward…are cursed."

**End Flashback **

"And that's when I met Salal." Kagome finished with a reminiscing smile.

"Who?"

"What?" Kagome said confusedly at the sudden question.

"Who's Salal?" Shippo repeated for them.

"She's uh…Lady Kira. Her real name is, or was, Salal."

"Was?" Sango asked.

"She…she died last month." Kagome answered sadly.

"I'm sorry." Miroku said sympathetically.

"Oh it's alright," Kagome chirped happily, "she was old. Infact, her last words were 'It's about damn time' and besides, she still lives on in the forest and plants that she raised."

"Was she…" Shippo began only to be interrupted by Inuyasha's angry outburst.

"You'll find out later, now hurry and finish it Kagome."

"Right…now where was I? Oh yeah, I had just met Salal…"

**Flashback**

"How…how do you know?" Kagome stammered bewilderedly only to be answered by another whack on the head, this one more painful than the first.

"I should be use to being unappreciated." Lady Kira said to herself in a wistful voice.

**End Flashback**

"Wait!" Kagome interrupted.

"What now?" Inuyasha growled irritably.

"I can't tell you guys, I have too many things to do. We are planning on leaving sometime this week right?"

"Yeah, but what…"

"I have to secure the grounds before even thinking about leaving. I have to make sure all spells and barriers are secure and strong, I have to inform the sprites, I have to get the harvest in and oh I just have so much to do."

"So we have to wait until you do all that crap, before you tell us anything."

"Yeah if you want to, but I do have a backup plan for you guys while I do all this."

"What? Is the dragon going to tell us?"

"Yeah right. He wants to eat yo…I mean no. Salal had a magic cauldron, and I was thinking you guys can watch what happened with it, while I get everything straight."

"Are you really a sorceress Lady Kagome?" Miroku suddenly asked.

"Sorceress? Me? No." Kagome laughed. "Salal was the sorceress. I'm more what you would call…a manipulator. I can't create spells of my own, but I can use the magic around me to manipulate things, and I can change and reinforce existing spells. That's about it."

"Enough talking. Where the hell is this cauldron, Kagome?" Inuyasha growled angrily.

"Why are you so intent on finding out what happened?" Kagome growled back.

"Are _you_ going to tell me why my brother's armor is hanging in a room back there?"

"…yeah…so the cauldron is this way…if you'll just follow me."

* * *

Kagome led them out to the branches of the large tree she had called home for the pass year. They walked to the end of one branch, crossed over interloping branches, trotted up braches, and finally came to a particular branch that held a long shed.

Inside, the shed was hot and smoldering, filled with mats, a small pit used to heat water, shelves of bottled ingredients, and of course, a black cauldron. Placing mats down around the cauldron, Kagome stoked the fire under it to a blaze and gathered a few things from the shelves as her friends made themselves comfortable.

They watched as Kagome muttered things under her breath as she added constituents to the cauldron, making the now boiling water change hues after each addition. Finally Kagome closed her eyes as if in a daze and severed a lock of her hair off with her claws before adding it to the cauldron. Muttering one more word, the fire under the cauldron soared to life, making the others jump back in alarm.

"There." Kagome said in a self pleased voice as the fire reared down and the cauldron emitted a large, red bubble. In it they could see Kagome waking up in the room she had described earlier.

"Now you guys have fun while I get things in order." Kagome told them as she adjusted the shades on the windows, in order to give them air whilst keeping it dark.

"I'm sorry for not asking earlier, but do you need any help." Sango asked turning away from the bubble, as Kagome opened the door.

Smiling gratefully, Kagome shook her head 'no' regretfully. "I _could_ use some help, but I know you want to know what happened, so I'll just get some tree sprites and Koji to help. But I appreciate it Sango."

"If you say so Kagome." Sango said, although you could easily see the relief on her face.

"Yeah, I'll come for you guys later."

"Shut the door!" Inuyasha yelled, making Kagome slam the door in anger.

"She's going to get you later, Inuyasha." Shippo told him, never taking his eyes off the bubble.

"Yeah, I know…and I can't wait."

* * *

**(From now on, this will be the flashback. And for Kagome's sake, what you read and know will be the uncensored version that Inuyasha and the gang will see.)**

"I should be use to being unappreciated." Lady Kira said to herself in a wistful voice.

"I wasn't unappreciating you." Kagome ground out through clenched teeth as she pulled herself to her feet. Her hands holding her battered head. "I appreciate what you did and all, but I was just wondering how you knew I was cursed."

"Your aura is shrouded in the essence of evil, and I see there is no evil in your soul. Besides…I'm just good like that. Now what does this particular curse do?"

'_You mean you don't know.'_ Kagome found herself biting back. She didn't need another head wound just yet. "I have two curses actually." Kagome told her as she sat down at the table. "This first one is turning me into a demon. I'm…or I was…a miko, until I was bitten and poisoned by a wolf demon. My friends saved me but the demons blood and mine became intermingled, and instead of killing me, it's taking over. We,_ my friends and I_, were traveling towards the cave of truth to fix it. On our journey we found out that it wasn't a coincidence that this happened, but a plot by Naraku. I don't know what his motive is or what he is planning to do with me, but I know he wants me to turn completely. This is why he placed this second curse upon me. My friends were able to help me cope; they helped me keep stable, which slowed the process up. So he separated me from my friends and cursed me, so that if we were ever to meet again, or contacted each other, they would be destroyed. He's also the reason I ended up in the river." As Kagome, who had had her head down the entire time, finished, she looked up andcaught Lady Kira peering at her closely with scrutinizing eyes.

"I can take that off you." The lady said after a pause.

"You can?" Kagome asked hopefully and then flinched as the Lady shifted her cane.

"For a price."

"A price?" Kagome repeated as her spirit deflated. "I don't have much…I don't have _anything_ of value."

"I don't want anything you got, girl." The lady sneered. "I will take the curse off for what you can _give_ me."

"Give you? What would that be…_milady_?"

"Oh the respect comes out when you can gain something from the old lady huh? Well, anyway girl, my body's getting old and I don't have much to leave to the world except my forest and my memory. I have no children of my own, and this old girl ain't coughing out any babies anytime soon, so…"

"You want me to get pregnant and give you my child?" Kagome squeaked out nervously.

"Heavens no, girl!" Lady Kira yelled as her eyes snapped to Kagome with an incredulous look. "What do I want with a useless, squalling babe? I need an apprentice. A grown, but young apprentice to pass on my heritage and keep my lands. For heavens sake,_ give me your baby?"_

"You're right, I'm sorry. You want me to be your apprentice?"

"Exactly girl. You stay here, learn my teachings, protect my lands, take my name and strike fear into those who dare forget it, keep…"

"Wait!" Kagome called out, interrupting Lady Kira. "Strike…_fear_?"

"Why yes, girl. How else do you think I keep such a large amount of land away from those greedy lords and ladies? In my youth I was the scourge of the lands. And to keep the peace, after I had killed off the former family, they let me keep the southern lands to myself. And as the years passed I've made sure they remembered our deal. I don't kill them off, they leave me be. Now like I said, my body's getting old, I can only kill so many, which is where you come in my young demoness."

"I don't think I can do this." Kagome said quietly as she shook her head.

"What?" the lady said in a dangerously low voice.

"I don't think I can be your apprentice." Kagome continued, oblivious to the Lady's attitude change, "I've never killed, in my right state of mind or on purpose, I can't strike fear, I can't…"

"I can always kill you myself and rid you of the curse that way. Free of charge." The lady said seriously.

"…" Kagome stared wide eyed at Lady Kira.

Lady Kira stared at Kagome with a hard look, and as Kagome continued to stare with no objection, Lady Kira stood with the intent to kill, written clear on her face.

"So you're going to teach me how to do all that right?" Kagome asked hastily with a drastic change of heart.

"Right." Lady Kira answered with a nod of the head.

"And you promise to help me if I do?"

"On my honor girl." Lady Kira said sincerely with an inclination of her head and her two forefingers to her heart.

"…then you have yourself an apprentice." Kagome announced with a sigh.

"Don't sound so glum girl, you might like it." The Lady said with a small smile as she put an arm around Kagome's shoulder and led her to one of the large window. "Now you said you were a miko, didn't you girl?"

"Yes ma'am." Kagome answered gloomily.

"Right, we're going to have to fix that won't we?" Lady Kira said under her breath, which Kagome caught with alarm, before whistling loudly.

Before Kagome could begin to wonder what was to happen, a large, _extremely large_, Venus flytrap-like plant reached in through the windows and snapped Kagome into its leafy trap.

"I'll come get you when you're ready, girl." She could hear Lady Kira say over her screams, as she tried to fight her way out of the slick, wet darkness, of her prison.

Oh yeah, she could see she was going to _enjoy this_, a lot.


	9. Chp 9 To Be a Butterfly

**IMPORTANT/FUTURE OF STORY: **

Lately, I have been thinking of **discontinuing **my **fics**.

I just haven't been in a writing mood lately. Every time I start, I get discouraged and sidetracked. I'm either using my time for my artwork, or I'm working on my original stories, and I find myself just wanting to stop fanficiton.

At first I was just planning of going on a hiatus, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of just stopping. But I will not be deleting my stories off the site or off my computer, for I may comeback one day. But until then...it was nice writing for you.

_Courtney _

* * *

**Chp. 9 To Be a Butterfly**

* * *

Years. Many years had passed since Kagome had first been eaten by the plant. At least, that's what it felt like to Kagome. For she was still alive inside the belly of the monster plant. 

Alive, but different.

That, she was sure of. After all those years inside the plant, something had changed.

The plant itself was the same as always. Warm, dark, slimy, with a sickly sweet smell. After years of immobility, the plant was the same. It was she, who was different. That she was sure, but what was different? She didn't know.

One thing to change was her acceptance of being inside this plant forever. She didn't fight anymore. She just…was. But that wasn't what was different. Something else was different, not wrong, for it felt right…just different.

Maybe it wasn't her, but the world outside her plant prison, or was it home now? But it was the world outside that felt different. She sensed something different in it. It was familiar, yet she had a new awareness of it. Something new to her that had always been there.

Maybe that was it. Maybe that was the difference.

No.

No, that wasn't it. It was her. She was different. She felt the same, just different. A need.

Need?

Did she need something? Someone? Was that the difference? Was there a need now that hadn't been there?

Inuyasha.

Did she need Inuyasha?

Yes. She needed Inuyasha? But that wasn't new. She always needed Inuyasha, just differently now.

Protect?

Did she need Inuyasha to protect her?

No. She didn't want Inuyasha the protector. No. She wanted Inuyasha the man. Was that the difference?

Yes. And she wasn't ashamed of it anymore. No. She had always wanted the hanyou, just never thought it right to think of him that way. Was that the difference?

Yes.

Was her innocence gone?

No.

No, but that was the difference.

Her innocence was not gone, just different. She was different. She didn't care about how or what she wanted. She wanted Inuyasha. She wanted him more than she ever had.

Why?

Why did she want him more now?

Because he wasn't there.

Yes. Because he wasn't around. She laughed. The action causing bubbles to issue from her mouth. Disrupting the gel-like substance of her home. Yes. Her home.

Inuyasha.

Her Inuyasha.

Why did she want him more when he wasn't around?

Why?

_'Kikyo_.'

Another difference. Yes. She could feel it. Something else was different…about her.

_'Because you'll never be as good as Kikyo.'_

I'll never be Kikyo.

_'Kikyo was never like you.' _

No. She wasn't, and she'll ever be as good as Kikyo.

_'Just a copy. Never be as good as the original.' _

Wrong. Not a copy, but still never be as good as Kikyo.

Kikyo was the best…at being Kikyo.

Kikyo was a great priestess.

She wasn't Kikyo. She'll never be as good as Kikyo, because Kikyo was the best at being herself. She wasn't Kikyo.

She was Kagome. Kikyo could never be Kagome.

Kikyo could never be as good as Kagome.

Kagome was the best at being Kagome.

No one could out do her at being it.

Who was Kagome?

She was Kagome.

Kagome was a great Kagome.

The one and only.

Another difference.

What was it? It wasn't her.

Outside. Outside her home.

No.

Her home was different.

But what? How was her home now different?

Light. There was light inside her dark home. There hadn't been light for years, yet it didn't hurt her eyes.

Her world dropped out from beneath her and she fell into the light. She didn't care.

"Took you long enough." A voice said from above. But she paid it no attention.

Falling from her home she found her self on a wooden platform.

No.

A giant tree branch. She was kneeling on a giant tree branch, but she didn't care. Around her, she could feel it pressing against her, the difference she had sensed inside her old home.

She could see her hands, she hadn't seen them in ages, and she was fascinated by them. They were covered in the clear, gel-like substance of her former home, much like the rest of her body.

Her body.

Her naked body, but she didn't care.

She touched her hair; let it slip from her fingers.

Just as she remembered it, only now it wasn't black, but a dark green.

"Hey girl!" the voice shrieked, making her cringe. "Pull yourself together!"

She heard it coming. A swishing through the air. A movement through the difference of the world.

She caught it.

"No." she said with her voice.

Her voice. She hadn't heard it in years. It sounded different.

"No what?" she heard the other voice ask.

"My name…it's not girl. It's…Kagome."

* * *

Kagome missed the self-satisfied look Kira had possessed as she said this, she was far to be busy regaining her senses, checking out her surrounding, and trying to slow her brain from it's one hundred a second question rate. 

"Good…" Kira said with a grunt as she hoisted Kagome onto her feet. . "Now that we have that settled, let's get you cleaned up and dressed. I want have you walking around like one of those damn, brainless nymphs." Now she began to pull Kagome towards the trunk of the tree, back to the compounds of _her_ home.

Kagome let her; she couldn't do much else_ but_ let her. She was too busy staring in wonder at everything, she feel of everything, and the smell. Looking behind her, Kagome saw the tattered remains of her former home.

It was a massive, white, dried up cocoon. Damn she would miss it. So with one last remorseful look, she turned her attention to the being pulling at her elbow.

She was small and frail, long white hair pulled into a braid, and wearing a simple forest green kimono. She had a sour expression that seemed permanently etched into her old wrinkled face, and she had a pair of vibrant green eyes that seemed way too young and glossy for someone so old and mean looking. She walked with a staff in her hand, but she guessed it was just for show for she didn't lean on it or use it to guide herself. She just simply carried it along. The frailty of her body must have been an illusion, for the grip that she had on Kagome's elbow was anything but.

Before she knew, Kagome found herself in sudden darkness, but after taking a second to catch her bearings she realized they had entered the compound of the great tree.

Kagome let the old lady steer her past the cavern that was the inside of her tree. The lady led her up a pair of stairs and down a hall that held many rooms, all closed off with different colored furs.

They stopped in front of one of those said doorways. This one was draped off with a red-brown fur. Here the demon woman let go of her arm.

Kagome waited with patience. She busied herself by looking around. The torches especially caught her attention.

"Its pixie dust," the woman snapped irritably.

Kagome wasn't sure why she was so angry, so she just let her rant; she had better things to do.

"Well…am I going to have to bathe you or can you do it yourself?" the little woman growled angrily.

"…I can bathe myself." Kagome answered her placidly.

"Good!" the woman snapped, "Your room is down the hall with the white fur. Your clothes will be in there waiting for you. Put them on then come down stairs." The lady told her forcefully before turning on her heel and storming off down the hall, muttering about stupid wolves.

* * *

Unfortunately, Kagome came back to awareness while in the tub and nearly drowned. 

Sputtering and getting water out of her eyes, Kagome found herself in a fine, luxurious, wooden bathroom. Wooden and mossy.

The bathing pool she had woken in was a perfect circle and in the middle of the pool, a wooden column rose and connected to the ceiling. A shelf was carved into the column and held soaps and bottles of some unknown substances that gave off pleasant scents, and other bath necessities.

Shelves were carved into the walls as well and held cloths and furs.

With confusion clearly written on her face, and a complete lack of time, Kagome hopped out of the water and wrapped a towel around herself. More like, wrapped a fur around herself.

While the events that had taken place were fuzzy to her, she did remember Lady Kira pointing out a room to her. So following the directions, that she could remember, she found herself at a room, draped close with a white fur. The inside of the room looked similar to the one she had awoken to that first day, except for a few differences. Sunlight poured in through a single, large window in the shape of a circle. The room contained one bed. The frame seemed to grow straight from the floor, with a handmade mattress, made from cloth sewn together and stuffed. The bed was covered with a white, spotted fur, the same pattern as the lone pillow.

On the bed, folded neatly, lay a plain, blue garb.

Besides the bed, a small table occupied the room, and surrounding on all sides, were shelves leveled into the wood.

A bleating outside brought her out of her reverie and she remembered that she was standing there naked.

* * *

She arrived downstairs to find Lady Kira sitting down at the table…looking unreasonably pissed off. 

"What's wron…?" Kagome began only to be interrupted by Lady Kira's harsh command to sit down.

Sighing aloud, Kagome hastily flitted down the stairs and sat down next to the old grouch. An uncomfortable silence followed of which Kagome looked at everything from the grouchy demoness staring at her, to the bowl of leaves on the table, to the massive windows of which goats had gathered beneath.

"I don't know where to begin." Lady Kira suddenly laughed, causing Kagome to jump.

"Ma'am?"

"I honestly don't know where to begin, girl…"

"Kagome." She corrected her instantly, for which she earned a small, quick smile.

"At least you have a back bone…but as for taking up my name, you're poor off and I can't decide what to teach you first. I'm a plant demon, I rule with an iron fist and I'm a sorceress, you're a rookie wolf demon, with no sorceress powers or knowledge of plants…that's what's working against us. On the other hand, I haven't been seen in quite some time and you're young and powerful, and I'm strong of mind and I will teach you what I know or you will die trying. So where do I start? Do I teach you about plants, how to fight, nobility, politics, how to be ruthless, how to keep your cool, or how to…SHUT IT UP ALREADY!"

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked as she backed up with a weary eye.

"No not you." Kira snapped at her, grunting as she hoisted herself up and bounded over to the window. "I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU INGRATES! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU COME FROM!" she yelled angrily, making the bleating outside the window stop. For a second, then they were back at it.

"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE BASTARDS! I HAVE NO CHILDREN!"

Curiosity got the better of her, Kagome had to witness the crazy old woman, yelling at the goats, but as she got to the window, she gasped in delight to find every little girls dream. About a dozen unicorns. On catching sight of her, they went berserk. Screaming and bleating loudly, as they jumped and galloped in circles, swinging their manes and flashing their horns at her.

"Great, now they've seen you. Get back!" Kira grumbled pushing Kagome away from the window. "DOWN YOU PERVS! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER! SHE DOESN'T NEED A BUNCH OF MOLESTERS AROUND...WHAT…LEAVE MY MOTHER OUT OF THIS...HOW BOUT I SAW THOSE HORNS OFF AND USE THEM TO SCRUB MY FEET!...THAT'S VERY KIND OF YOU, BUT I'D RATHER NOT HAVE ANYTHING STUCK UP THERE!"

The shouting went on and on, back and forth, non-stop screaming and bleating, with Kagome hopping around trying to catch sight of the magnificent beasts once more. It all ended when Lady Kira threw a rock at them and they threw it back, before galloping off bleating loudly, which, sounded a lot like laughter.

"Traitorous beasts." Kira muttered as she pushed pass Kagome and sat back down at the table.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked as Kagome sat back down with a large smile on her face.

"I've never seen unicorns before. I thought they were make believe."

"No, they're as real as they come…just not all their cracked up to be."

"What's your beef with the unicorns?"

"Beef?" Lady Kira asked with a confused look.

"Umm…I mean problem. What's your problem with the unicorns?"

"They're traitorous asses!" Lady Kira snapped obviously. "Now let's get back to business. First off, I will tell you that I've fixed your curses. And before you get excited, I said fixed, not broken you curses. You will not be turning anymore…as long as you stay within my lands. The other curse about killing your friends if you contact them, whatever, yada yada, it'll only be effective until you shed blood, which, I promise, you will. For your part of the bargain you will learn to fight, manipulate magic, tend my land and crops, keep order, you will learn to be independent, you will gain a spiritual weapon, and bond a beast."

"Bond…bond a beast?"

"It's not required of you, but it'll help, but we have more important things to do than talk about silly beasts."

"Like what?" Kagome dared ask.

"Like you telling me your story."

"Huh?"

"Your story, girl, tell me your story. You don't seem like anything special to me, why have you been cursed, where are your parents, any siblings, I need to know _you_, before I throw you through the grinder."

"O-Kay." Kagome began slowly. "Where do you want me to begin?"

"The beginnings always a good place to start."

"Alright…um…my father died a little while after my brother was born and…"

* * *

"Pay Attention!" Kira yelled for the umpteenth time, her screech sending animals stampeding, birds to flight, and trees to lose their leaves, as she brought her staff crashing down on Kagome's head once again. 

"I am!" Kagome snapped back, rubbing her head and turning to face the old lady once again. Truth is; she wasn't. Every since leaving Kira's tree, of which Kagome had to jump from branch to branch when Kira was carried down by them, the unicorns had been secretly tailing them making Kagome giddy and distracted.

After Kagome had told Kira her story, minus the well, being from the future, and the shikon, which she hoped was safe with the rest. Kira was silent for a second, looking to Kagome as if she was judging if it was true or not, before announcing that she would teach Kagome about plants first. Or attempt to teach plants first, but mixing a young girl with unicorns was the recipe for trouble.

"Hm." Kira muttered as she looked pass Kagome to the hiding equines. Scowling angrily at them, she watched with a satisfied smirk as a tree suddenly flank one on the rear, making them all gallop off in fright.

"That'll keep them away for a while." Kira humped victoriously before rounding on a wide-eyed Kagome. "Don't just stand there gawking girl, come over here and identify the poisonous mushrooms.

"But…but the tree…it…it moved."

"Yes and they'll hit you too if you don't do as I say."

With a sorrowful last look to where the unicorns had been and nervous glances to all the trees surrounding, Kagome grudgingly did as Kira demanded and picked out as many poisonous mushrooms she could, which ended up being two. To say the least, Kira was not pleased.

"You see this," Kira screeched, shoving the mushroom into Kagome's face, "you left this! This is poisonous!"

"Well how am I supposed to know?" Kagome screeched back. "I've never studied plants before!"

"Well if you've been paying attention instead of playing with those horned bastards, then you would know that the white mushroom, with the green stalks and black seeds are poisonous if they are hollow under their tops!" with her last sentence uttered, Kira smashed Kagome on the head with her staff again, knocking Kagome onto her butt.

Rubbing her head angrily, Kagome listened as Kira yelled out all the information about poisonous mushrooms again. She inwardly sighed, wishing that the time she would spend with Kira would hurry by so she could be saved from this torture.

"Are you paying attention?"

"Yes ma'am." Kagome answered automatically.

"Good." Kira said with satisfaction as she continued. "Now as I was saying…the difference between these identical mushrooms is that this…"

Whatever Kira was going to say next was lost to Kagome, for the next thing she knew was that the unicorn was there suddenly and Kira was sent flying into a tree.

"Lady Kira!" Kagome yelled as she hopped to her feet to check on Kira's motionless, prone figure, not noticing how all the unicorns had now accumulated and were letting off their bleating laughter callously.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked with genuine concern as she rolled Kira onto her back to check her over. Her reward was an angry groaning, but Kira was still out. "Oh, good." She breathed out in relief before she felt herself lifted off the ground and onto the back of large, burly unicorn.

She had only a second's eye contact with Kira, who had managed to crack open on eye, before the pack of unicorns took off with her, and all the worry she felt for the lady on the ground was swept away in the sheer delight of racing away on the back of a unicorn.

* * *

It was in a euphoric ball of euphoria that Kagome hauled herself into the window of Kira's great home. 

Spending the day with the unicorns turned out to be better than she ever dreamed. They took her racing across the land, they galloped and pranced for her, they showed her magical creatures she never thought actually existed. Fairies, nymphs, the spirits of nature, and a patch of pixies. They showed her beautiful spots that were hidden from the world, they showed her hot springs, and waterfalls, and trees that didn't bite. They laid their heads in her lap and snuggled close to her with their horns humming, creating a soothing melody.

By the time she asked them to take her back, she was exhausted and it was well past dark. They took her as far as Kira's tree, making her near bout give up as she looked at the massive tree, but the thought of spending all night in Kira's creepy, tree biting forest, was far worst than a few sore muscles.

"Well, look what the bastards drug in." a voice murmured from the dark corner of the room.

"Lady Kira." Kagome started, as she hastily, and tiredly, hustled to her feet to face the angry lady. "You're alright."

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"Sorry, but they snatched me..."

"I know...I saw thus far, and I also saw how you didn't mind."

"...I'm sorry. That was inexcusable what I did, but they are so...so..."

"Magnificent." Kira finished for her with a wistful look, before her face hardened with an old familiar pain. "Listen girl, I'm going to tell you something about those beasts, before you get hurt. I'm not telling you this because I like you; I'm telling you this because I don't need you moping around like an old fool. Now I want tell you if you won't listen."

"I'm listening." Kagome told her curiously.

"Hmm. But will you heed it?" Kira muttered under her breath. "Alright girlie, listen up because I'll only say this once. When I was younger, an innocent girl liker yourself, just coming into power, I bonded with the beasties out there you favor so much. And I won't allow you to follow in wake." Kira said quickly as she saw Kagome's eye light up. "We're going to find something else for you. But like I said, I bonded with the bastards. I loved them dearly, and I thought they loved me. I devoted my life to protecting them and ensuring my lands so they and I could live in peace. But luck would have it I fell in love. Fell in love with the wrong man, who, after taking my girlhood," here Kagome flinched at the mental image, "and left me. The bastard had a mate. I was heartbroken, so I returned to my lands only to have the retched creatures call me a slut and leave me alone in my grief. The bastards. And now, smelling a new innocent girl, they've come running back. But they won't be here long if I have anything to do with it."

Kagome was silent a moment, then what Kira said finally sunk in. "What you talking about Kira?"

"That hanyou of yours, he's so far away...he's no good for what I will turn you into...and I want the bastards gone. You need a lover."

"Excuse me? I...I love..._do I_...yeah...I love Inuyasha. I don't want a lover...I don't want to be mated...I want my rude, obnoxious, thick headed hanyou."

"If you really love him, then getting a lover shouldn't affect it...true love knows no boundary...besides...this hanyou isn't so faithful himself...is he?"

Kagome scowled at Kira for bringing up her love life, a growl threatening to erupt from her throat.

"Don't take that type of attitude with me." Kira snapped with a smirk. "I love only one man, but took lovers. Lovers are dispensable...and being a dominant lover...it should be easier to discard them.

_'No wonder the unicorns called you a slut.'_ Kagome thought moodily.

"Don't try to judge me girl." Kira snapped as if she heard Kagome's thoughts. "Sex has no meaning. Sex carries no love. Sex is a form of exercise, a form of sensual aggression, a game for dominance. But you do not make love to everyone. You make love to only one. You give your love to only one. Do not give your love during sex; you'll only end up making trouble."

Kagome continued to scowl.

"I'm not telling you go out and have sex with everyone. I'm telling you to reserve your love and think carefully about whom you want to give it to, and if you really think that hanyou of yours deserves it...then keep it for him. But I'm telling you now...I know of eligible, young, robust demons out there to keep you busy...I'm stubborn...and I have ways. I will get rid of those traitors if it's the last thing you do."

Kagome's growl died in her throat and she stared with fear and suspicion at the unicorn-hating old lady, who was now smiling sweetly at her.

"Now off to bed with you, young apprentice. You have a hard day ahead of you, for leaving me to die today. Instead of botany, we're going to start with some hard labor and defense training. Since you can hardly fend off those molesting unicorns, and we're going to build you up...because you are going to be busy. Now off you go." Kira said sweetly although with a wicked facade.

Kagome opened her mouth and closed it, then opened and closed it again. She couldn't find anything to say, and that look Kira was giving her was creepy. She turned on her heel and began to head towards the stairs.

She stopped and turned back and tried to object, comment, or say anything at all, but nothing came out.

Kira smiled sweetly up at her and waved her off again.

Shaking her head, she returned towards the stairs. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

**

* * *

**

**'Stronger Than Yesterday'** to be updated next.


	10. Chp 10 Far Far Away

**Chap 10 Far Far Away**

* * *

When Kira said that she was going to be kept busy, she wasn't lying. After being hauled up at the crack of down, she followed, stumbled, out of the tree behind Kira and into the forest. Every since then, Kagome had been working non-stop, moving non-stop, and on alert for any and everything.

Kira had taken her to field after field where she would then sit along the sidelines and hum while Kagome harvested the crops. It had been bearable at first, the basket she carried on her back was big but light, and the morning air was cool, but soon the basket would fill and the sun shone bright and beamed directly onto her back.

So far to count, they had been to four fields, she had filled around twenty baskets. When a basket reached its fill, she also had the pleasure of hauling the heavy burden back to the tree, where they were steadily piling up. She dreaded the moment when they would have to be hauled up inside. The only good thing she felt she was getting out of this manual labor was that she was learning her way around Kira's land. With each trip to and fro the tree, the path would get longer as they moved further away, but it was the trips back that she enjoyed the most. That was when she didn't have a hindrance to carry around, and was merely weighed down by a new empty basket. During this time, she finally got to sight see. No unicorns to distract her, no Kira to keep her focused and annoyed; just her and the world.

The paths she took stayed hidden in the forest, but once she got comfortable enough, she began to stray the path and walked along the edge of the woods. There she saw that Kira's land was bordered by the ocean to the far south, she made a note to visit it one day, to the east they were bordered by the colossal mountain range that had caused her problems in the first place. The rest of the land was filled with wild woods, random lakes, the dreaded fields, which were far too many, and an occasional village.

The villages had surprised her at first, she hadn't thought Kira to be a kind Lady who would allow humans on her lands, but she guessed every Land Lord needed subjects, even old cranky ones like Kira.

She was coming to the point in her path when she would have to turn off, so with a sigh she turned to enter the forest again, only to come face to face with a Lady Kira and the herd of naked people accumulated behind her, all giggling and jiggling about.

To say she was shock would have been an underestimate.

As she gaped at them, she noticed that they were all beautiful. Too beautiful, she felt like an old, dumpy, horrible mutant compared to them. No two looked the same, some were pale as snow, others as dark as the night sky, the women were all slender and perky, while the men, the small few that they were, were tall, broad in the shoulders, and well endowed, she didn't stare openly at them, but she didn't look away either.

"What's going on?" she asked slowly, really wondering what the old woman had been up to.

"We're going to go into the villages today. I figured now would be as good a time as any to start rumors."

"Rumors?"

"Rumors that Kira isn't dead. The rumors that she is just as powerful as always, and that she has become involved.

"And…you're going to accomplish this with a bunch of nymphs?"

"NO girl!" Kira yelled swinging her staff at Kagome's head, who had the brains to duck it. "You're going to do this just with the men. And I don't appreciate your snappish attitude. The girls are just here to help you."

"Help with what?" Kagome wondered aloud, eyeing the nymphs with a scrutinizing eye. The girls didn't look too bright, and neither did the men.

"They are going to get you ready while I brief you on proper village etiquette." without another world, Kira turned on her heal and hobbled off into the forest, Kagome quickly followed and they were flanked on all sides by the nymphs, who, now that there were moving, danced and pranced about, sometimes chasing each other and enjoying themselves.

Kagome ignored them as she hovered behind Kira with questions.

"Village etiquette? You mean I have to act proper in the village. What kind of village is this?"

"You will be acting as Lady Kira. Lady Kira is the Lady of these lands, you're representing me and I won't have you acting a fool. As the Lady of the lands, you are expected to act arrogant and indifferent. To act any other way you will be seen as weak and then something stupid will pop up in some idiots head and then you'll have trouble. Although you are to be ruthless, you are not cruel. Which is why, I regularly visit the villages, and find out if there are any problems that Kira can solve. I've never gone as myself and the villagers know me as Greta. This will be Kira's first tour of the villages in 87 years."

Kagome's questions were put onto a momentary stand still as she found their path blocked by two carriages. One was already loaded with the baskets she had spent the day filling, and around it buzzed a few more of the male nymphs. They were scarcely dressed, but dressed nonetheless. Some busied themselves by loading the carriage, while others were adorning armor and weapons.

The other carriage was obviously a passenger carriage, for the seats were boxed in and closed off with royal blue drapery. They were more nymphs standing around it, armed and ready.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, she jumped in front of Kira and halted her in her tracks. "What kind of etiquette do I have to follow?"

"Don't speak." Kira snapped first off, making Kagome jump and right into the arms of the many nymphs behind her.

She started to fight them off when she noticed they carried clothes and hair supply.

Kagome listened intently to Kira as nymphs stripped her of her clothing and combed her hair. From what Kira said, Kagome realized that proper village etiquette for a Lord of the land was to sit quietly, don't talk, don't make eye contact, don't interact with the villagers, and be indifferent and condescending.

The nymphs had braided her hair into a simple braid, but they adorned her with an expensive green kimono with patterns of vines running across it. Upon her head, they adorned a straw hat with a black veil that just covered the top of her face. Kira explained that this was because a demon's mouth was one of the most frightening things about them. A smile could mean cruelty or kindness, showing teeth meant disaster, immediate death, and anger.

Just as the nymphs finished dressing her, they pranced off giggling to themselves just as a male nymph walked up to her. Like all the others nymphs, he was handsome, but unlike the other male nymphs, he was beautiful too.

The nymph stood towering over her, his shoulders level with her eyes. His skin was a golden bronze and his short curly, blonde hair seemed to be shaped like a star around his head. He was, she admitted, the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. She had thought Sesshomaru had the role of sexiest being on earth, but that was until she actually met the sexiest of the sexiest. He also seemed to be taller than the ice prince was, so when he grabbed her hand, he had to stoop low to place a kiss upon it. When he did, he glanced into her eyes and Kagome saw that his were all black with golden specs. Making it seem as if you were looking into the heavens themselves

Her breath was caught in her throat and she found out that her hormones could scream. He smiled at her; a dazzling smile with perfectly straight teeth, and her stomach flipped as someone turned the heat up. He hadn't let her hand go and she was acutely aware of where they're bodies met.

"My, Lady." he greeted formerly, his voice, deep and rich, sending shivers up and down her back.

"Yeah I am." she mumbled as she smiled charmingly, falling into his trap of seduction.

"This here is Sidus. Head nymph and your companion until something more effective comes along." Kira was suddenly there and Kagome jumped startled, dropping Sidus's hand as she looked guiltily around. Then what Kira said finally sunk in.

"What do you mean my companion? I can't have him as a companion." Kagome knew what Kira was up to, she wanted her and the nymph to get it on, and giving him a glance, she knew that he knew too, and the smile he gave her was all but comforting, in reality, she clearly saw that she couldn't be left alone with the nymph, let alone spend five minutes in his presence.

She couldn't stop looking at him, and he knew it. He flexed and gave her wolfish grins. He, thankfully, wasn't naked, but he only wore a loincloth, and she had a perfect view of his powerful thighs. She almost took a step towards him but she managed to shake her self-loose of his grandeur.

"Why…why do I need him again? And what could be more effective than him?"

"When we get to the village, stay in the carriage for a while…" Not bothering to acknowledge Kagome's question, Kira turned on her heel and headed towards the blue carriage.

"Kira, why is he my companion?"

"…You may get out later, and if you do, do not speak to the villagers, don't acknowledge them, and don't take off the hat. If you can help it, don't smile and keep a stoic face."

"Are you listening to me? I'm not sleeping with him?" Kagome, to show her assertiveness, crossed her arms and planted her foot firmly on the ground. Nevertheless, her façade dissolved as Sidus passed her up to follow Kira, but as he passed, his hand brushed against her leg and her knees buckled.

"Of course you're not." Kira finally answered with a nasty smile as she caught Kagome staring after Sidus like a dog after a bone. "Now get in this carriage so we can harass the villagers."

More embarrassed than annoyed, Kagome began her way over to the carriage but when she saw Sidus enter it, she halted again.

"What's the matter now?" Kira snapped.

"Nothing." Kagome mumbled in relief as she saw that Kira was going to be riding too. She could handle being in an enclosed space with Sidus if Kira was there. She would be too busy arguing with the old woman to drool over the sex machine.

* * *

As she came to find out, she didn't have to worry about Sidus or Kira. Kira was unusually quiet, while Sidus kept to himself on the other side of the carriage, so she was free to enjoy her ride as she stared out the window at the landscape as it drove by.

She was ashamed when it took her a few minutes to wonder how the carriage was moving. She remembered seeing a place for horses to pull the carriage, but she didn't remember seeing or hearing any. She thought about asking Kira, but she was enjoying the silence. She tried maneuvering her body to peer ahead, but she couldn't see pass the sides. She thought about just sticking her head out the window, but she assumed that would be improper etiquette and she was really enjoying the silence.

"Why don't you use your nose? Put it to some use besides sitting on your face."

"How do you know these things?" Mumbling more to herself than Kira, Kagome pulled back the curtain on the window and took a whiff of the outside air.

At first, she wasn't sure what she smelt. She sorted through the ones she could identify, but she couldn't place the main one. It was male, that was for sure. The testosterone hit her square in the face and she'd know that smell anywhere now that she had the epitome of male sitting right under her nose. That's when it hit her.

"Are we being driven by nymphs?" she asked, excited and bewildered by the idea. "They're fast!" she exclaimed, all etiquette out the door as she leaned out the window to get a look at them.

She was right. All the armored nymphs were acting as horses as they ran full speed down the path. There were four pulling their carriage, and on inspection on the noise behind them, and six pulling the cart with the harvest.

"What are you looking at My Lady?" Sidus suddenly asked, startling her and making her hit her head on the windowsill as she quickly pulled her head back in. She was glad that the hat hadn't fallen off for her face was as red as a tomato, and it wasn't from hitting her head.

"You need not look and want," Sidus continued, his voice drawing her eyes to his lips, "when you have me."

"Oh…oh you're going to be a problem." Kagome muttered, her voice sounded annoyed after Sidus seemed to make every muscle on his form ripple.

His reply to her cryptic tone was a brazen smile. Kira laughed.

* * *

Kagome's mood turned sour after that. She spent the rest of the ride ignoring her companions as her thoughts turned to her friends. She wished she were with them now. She wished she knew how they were doing. Time had gotten away from her; she couldn't remember how much time she had spent by herself and knew even less about the amount of time spent in her cocoon. Had they given up looking for her? No. They wouldn't. They wouldn't give up, and neither would she. She'd survive her time with this crazy old woman and see them again as a better person. No curse, and with a story to tell. She couldn't wait to see their smiling faces as she fell into their arms. Fell into his arms. Where he would yell at her for no reason and be grumpy, but his hold on her would be so tight and so comforting, because she knew he would miss her too.

"Stop that whining!" Kira snapped as she crashed her staff into her knee.

Kagome, who hadn't realized she had actually been whining like an animal, now growled at the offensive staff as if it had done the attack on its own.

"Feral rulers do not whine." Kira continued as she sat back and closed her eyes.

"Then what do they do?" Kagome growled, annoyed, although her knee was starting to feel better.

"They strike fear," Kira growled, the image of the powerful and fearful leader that she was shining through, "Not pity, into the heart of those around them!"

"What about respect?" Kagome snapped back, trying to mimic the face growling at her.

"That comes later." She answered calmly as she sat back. "Fear then respect. No one really took a plant demoness serious; I had to work hard for that fear, for that respect. But it should be easier for you. Wolves are relatively more aggressive than plants."

Kagome too sat back in her seat with a placid face. Looking down at her soothed knee, she was not surprised to find a well manicured hand resting on it. Sighing, she casually shoved the hand away. "I'm not a demon. I told you this is all just a curse placed on me by some sicko demon for some depraved twisted, secret agenda."

"Excuses, excuses." Kira mumbled as she waved her hand at Kagome dismissively.

After a moment of silence Kagome finally asked a question that had been bugging her. "How am I supposed to be you anyway? You're an old plant demon, and I'm a semi wolf demon."

"Most of the villagers are dead who witnessed me in my prime and those who live were too young to remember me from anything but tales passed down to them. And I'll watch who I call 'old' if I were you."

"Yeah, yeah." Kagome returned the favor by dismissing Kira with a hand. "What about demons? The other Lords?"

"I don't associate with the other Lords, and any lesser demon is not permitted on my lands unless I allow it. I haven't allowed any in over 100 years. Besides, if you were to encounter any, they would smell only the forest. I placed you in the cocoon for a reason. No need to pretend if you can't pull it off."

"I guess that makes sense." Kagome replied as she inconspicuously sniffed herself. All that came to her were the fields she worked in earlier and the nymphs who had dressed her. She smelled of nature.

"Name and describe the poisonous mushrooms located near water sources?"

"What?" taken aback, because she didn't remember, Kagome looked bewilderingly at Kira.

"You heard me, we went over them, now tell me what you fail at?"

* * *

They entered the village to an immediate crowd. News of the carriage's arrival had reached the village moments before they appeared over the horizon. Those familiar with the tri-annual visits by Greta were confused by the extra carriage. The old yet robust Greta usually rode on the carriage with the harvest. Yet here she came, riding in a lavish, covered carriage, and the nymphs that they were used to were now doubled in quantity and heavily armored. None could fathom the occasion but all were hesitant to approach. They would wait it out.

"Now if you feel you must come out," Kira was explaining inside the carriage. "_Wait_, at least until I've explained to the villagers and gotten half the carriage empty. Build up some fear and awe."

"Do I even have to come out?" Kagome asked, now bored and put off now that she had gotten scolded like a child for not knowing about moss and fungus.

"By all means, stay inside. Less of a chance of you screwing up."

As the old lady left, Kagome stuck her tongue out at her defiantly, and it wasn't until she shut the carriage door did she relent. And then it happened. The elephant in the room. The smiling, sexy, elephant in the room. Or carriage.

Kagome sat back in her seat and looked at him. He was already looking at her and the smile he was giving her was not a sweet one.

"Stop looking like that." she snapped at him. But he didn't answer. He didn't stop smiling. And he didn't stop looking so sexy. He did untie his loincloth though and place it on the seat next to him.

The silence that followed was intense and long. The elephant in the room had made himself known. "Really?" was all Kagome could bring herself to say through her discomfort. She felt herself turning red as the temperature went up in the carriage. That must've been why he needed to take off the cloth. "Really?"

He smiled cockily, placed his hands behind his head, and flexed. As the snake charmer worked his magic, Kagome began choking on embarrassment, unwanted feeling, and the musty smell of arousal that invaded her nose.

"Put…that thing…back on." Kagome found herself growling at him, angry that her voice had gotten deep with unwanted attraction.

He didn't comply. As he stood up, Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and watched with irritation as he sat down next to her. He didn't look at her, but his smile was still in place. She didn't like that smile on his face and found herself baring her teeth at him as she backed away. To her consternation, he began to edge closer, and as her back hit the wall of the carriage, he kept up his advance. He loomed over her and gazed heatedly into her eyes and she wondered idly, as he closed the gap between them, how it would feel. What was so bad about having a man want her with such passion in his eyes? And then he was upon her.

* * *

The rumor had been spread now. The villagers had wasted no time in asking Greta about her unusual arrival. Upon finding out that is was there fabled Lady Kira come to visit, the village was soon rushed into a frenzy. The old were rushed from their homes in hopes that some were old enough to remember proper etiquette. The young and rambunctious were forced back into their homes incase any were bold enough to insult their Lady, the merchants were bringing out their best to trade for the harvest, and everyone was inconspicuously wandering around the carriage in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Lady of the Southern Lands.

Kira was pleased with the fervent response she had garnered. The curtains on the carriage were thick enough to keep the girl's figure hidden, but her outline was visible enough to keep the villagers from suspicion. Maybe she could pull this off after all. Have the girl harvest the crops in the morning and then masquerade around as Lady Kira as they visited the merchant villagers around her land. She would teach the girl all she knew, make her fierce and dominant like a Lady was supposed to be, and possibly get her virginity broken. And if she knew Sidus, it would be long.

Nodding her head in satisfaction, Kira continued bartering for goods and talking of her 'Mistress's' renewed interest in her subjects.

"Back off!" a voice suddenly sounded out from the carriage just as a figure came flying from the compartment. Sidus was thrown from the carriage with such force that the door became embedded into the wall; the poor nymph flew through the air, landed hard enough to bounce, and slid to a crumpled heap amidst the crowd. A naked, crumpled heap.

The villagers were frozen into shock and did nothing but watch the nymph bleed onto the ground. Greta kept her faced trained into fear and rushed to the carriage door. Kagome sat primly with her head facing the window, and did not react when Kira appeared at the door. She waited a moment, as she tried to control her nerves. She had meant to yell so loudly or even kick the nymph so hard. She was shaking slightly from the adrenaline and nervousness. She knew her face was red but she could do nothing about that. Knowing she had caused a scene and that the villagers could not hear them from their distance, Kagome turned towards Kira with a controlled face, though her lip wanted to curl.

"I've been trying to respect you. I've done everything you've asked me, and I've tried to learn the things you're teaching me, but we're going to get know where if you don't respect me in return. I'm…I'm not going to have sex with that nymph or anyone else you throw my way. I'll cut them all down before I give up my virginity just because you say so. It is mine, not yours, and as of right now, it's for my hanyou."

Kira was silent a moment. Then she gave a bow. "Very well." She said as she straightened back up. "Maybe I was too blunt. I appreciate your spirit; you can't be what I need you to be without one. I would say you ruined this expedition but you've only made yourself seem cruel to the villagers. Rumors will spread faster now. But I'll tell you this…any respect I have for you, is outweighed by my hatred for those horned bastards that you seem to be fond of. I don't want them on my land, let alone acknowledge their existence and the only way to get rid of them is for you to either leave my lands and die, or get over that hanyou of yours and lay down with an eligible being."

Though Kira couldn't see because of the hat, Kagome narrowed her eyes at the old Lady before her. "So it seems we're at an impasse. What do you propose we do?"

* * *

As she came to find out, Kira proposed dropping Kagome off in the middle of nowhere. After forcing Sidus to take up reign with the other nymphs, Kira and Kagome sat in silence as they rode off with their haul. Not realizing that they were taking a different route it was far too late to ask what was going on by the time Kira had forced the nymphs to stop. Now bewildered, Kagome found herself standing outside of the carriage and looking at a serious faced Kira.

"You're going to build a map."

Kagome said nothing but found her head tilting in confusion.

"Roam around. Get acquainted with the land and its features."

"And build a map?"

"That's what I said. Don't memorize the landscape, learn it. When you get back to the tree, I'll have the parchment waiting for you show me what you fail at."

"So I'm just to live out here until I learn the land?" she asked after a moment's pause. "How long is this going to take?"

"Now that's completely up to you now isn't it?" After leaning towards her ominously as she said this, Kira now backed up and sat back against the seat and faced forward, refusing to look at her any longer. "You may be seen but do not go into villages or interact with the humans."

"And what if I run into anyone?"

"Acknowledge but ignore them."

"Isn't that a contra…?"

"Figure it out." Kira snapped, never bothering to look Kagome's way. "Here."

Not sure about its origins, Kagome caught the large strip of material Kira tossed to her. "What is it?" she asked, folding it out and seeing that it had no ends and was just one continuous loop.

"It's a satchel." Kira answered with contempt. "Its to help you while you're out here by yourself."

"A bag. Couldn't you get me a weapon or something?"

Kira scoffed at her. "You're not ready for my weapon."

"Who says I have to have your weapon? I'll be fine with a bow."

"I carried a memorable weapon. And as acting Kira, you too will be seen and become skilled with it."

"Thrilling. I can't wait for that."

Kira said nothing but merely glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Rapping the side of the carriage with her knuckles, Kira signaled the nymphs and they were off.

Kagome stood there bemused with her satchel and watched as Kira and her entourage disappeared into the horizon. Now alone and with the task of building a map, Kagome looked about her. She turned to the left, she saw hills, fields, and patches of crop fields, she then turned to her right and saw the forest, looking behind her she was presented with more fields followed by the forest. And before her was open fields dissected by a stream, followed by more forest and topped with a mountain range that looked bigger than it actually was. Building a map shouldn't be too hard, if only she knew which way was north.

* * *

She made up her mind and decided to set up a base camp. Somewhere to return to where she could have a stable reference point to the rest of the land. She felt she could have succeeded this from the tree, but Kira would have just kicked her out, so she had to do it the hard way. Not too hard, she supposed. Ever since becoming demon, she felt as if she was making a new base camp every week. All she needed was for Naraku to pop up, harass her, and force her away from another temporary home.

Growling as the evil hanyou crosses her mind, she soon found herself stomping around irritably. Her mood emitted from her like a diseased cloud, making animals scurry away in fear, and the plants to shudder. It wasn't until a tree actually moved out of her path did she snap out if it. She had forgotten that the trees liked to bite.

She hesitated to take another steps, and the trees groaned in confusion. Some scooted away uncertainly while others advanced her way with an unsure reluctance. Something was going on, and she was sure what. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and took a step forward. All the trees backed away immediately, she took another step and they moved further away.

"Okay." She muttered to herself. She continued forward and the trees, and a few bushes, parted for her and shuddered as she passed. But she had only gotten a few feet before she noticed the stubborn one. It stood in the middle of her path, tall, broad, and moldy.

She stood still as she stared at it, and it didn't move as it stared back. She assumed it stared at her. The wind blew her hair and the trees branches and while she moved her hair from her face, the tree did nothing. Possibly because it was a tree.

The standoff continued with nothing more that a shudder passing from the onlooking shrubbery. Even the birds seemed to hush in anticipation. Sweat rolled down the side of Kagome's face and the big tree lost a few leaves…and then…the twitch happened.

She ran for her life, terror eating at her soul as the tears blinded her. Damn that tree. It had all been a play for dominance. A test to see if they could overpower her. They could.

During their standoff, the big tree darted forward and she had twitched and stepped away. That had been the catalyst that set the other trees into motion. They all swarmed forward, intent on beating the hell out of her. She knew that's what they wanted because one had already smacked her at the back of her spine with its branches. The pain spread to the top of her head, and she was confident her she was bleeding where the branch connected, but she'd have to check that when she wasn't being attacked by forest.

Jumping, ducking, and dodging branches, weren't Kagome's only obstacles. Besides these, she had to fight her way past those who tried to block her path. Her body ached from slamming into their broad trunks and hurriedly squeezing through suddenly tight places. Whenever she would encounter those who would black her, she would be slowed down and those whose branches stung like fire would attack. She would have thought this just rough housing the new guy if it wasn't for the lessening of skin and sharp tang of blood in the air. Blood wasn't oozing but it was definitely present.

Slipping between two of the blockers, and using more strength than she knew she had, her foot got caught between the two and she fell. Immediately others enclosed on her, swatting her with the branches and vines as if she was an annoying bug. Yelping, she rolled away from the hits only to encounter more.

Pain does not have similar effects on every person. Sometimes, pain caused some to forsake others in hopes of abating their own suffering, sometimes pain caused anger and hate to enter the heart. For some, pain was only a minor annoyance to be endured and used to make themselves a better and stronger being. And for some, for some pain was just a catalyst to unleash the insanity and abnormality within themselves. These beings never knew that they had this within themselves and were still never aware of this after that inner abnormality was unleashed. For these beings, pain was never an issue anymore. This went for a lot of things in their lives.

Kagome found that the pain, while not fatal, was getting increasingly annoying. She found herself growling and biting back. This would have been more threatening if for the fact that she wasn't still on the ground and rolling around getting spanked by trees. One successful biting episode ended with her clamped on to a particularly bark tasting branch and when it retracted to hit her again, she came along for the ride. Sounding to the world like an enraged puppy playing tug of war with a rope, Kagome held on to the branch by nothing but her teeth.

Seeming to feels pain, the tree began shifting violently and flinging the branch with Kagome clamped on to it. The other trees did nothing, and she assumed watched in fascination as the tree tried to dislodge her from its appendage. Finally with a painful jolt to her teeth, Kagome came loose from branch and was sent flying through the air.

She flew through the air with the greatest of ease, that charming young girl who had no trapeze. She had nothing to catch her, nothing to grab hold to. Even the few trees that had no minds of their own, those stationary trees that did not bite and sling her through the air, were nowhere near close enough to stop her flight.

_'I hate this.'_

Kagome thought to herself briefly between her panic. As she felt herself slowing, indicating that she was about to begin her descent, she started to look to see where she might land, but before she could get a good look a bird hit her and she was blinded by feathers and squawks. And so Kagome's journey through the air came to an unforeseen, for her, end as she painfully landed in the inky black depths of an effectively hidden pond.

Plummeting to the bottom, Kagome was shocked into immobility with her eyes open and her opened in a scream. Though the water was dark, and her vision was obscured by hair and bubbles, she couldn't miss the secret that the little pond held. The bottom of the pond was littered, covered, riddled, with the skeletal remains of demons. After getting over her initial shock, she pushed against the bottom, and using a few skulls as leverage, and propelled herself upward and out of the water.

Spitting the putrid water from her mouth and clearing it away from her eyes she quickly swam to shore. Getting out, she didn't bother to look around before she shook like a dog, not caring that it looked embarrassing.

"Guess I know what she did with all the demons on her land." She muttered to herself as she began to ring out her hair.

Grimacing as the water got into her tree battle wounds, splinters, she looked into the black water pond and froze. Not at the sorry sight of her reflection, not at the unseen skeletons at the bottom, but at the reflection of the sky above her.

Slowly she raised her head up to the sky and she lost her breath. Above her was an alien sky. It was night, the stars were out, but the moon was there too. It was there seven times, each in one of its different phases.

"Oh I really hate this."


End file.
